Unexpected
by Jazz the Wolf Demon
Summary: In an attempt to win Naraku, the man of her dreams, Kagura turns to Sango and Kagome to help her find the perfect date for Homecoming. But what's a girl to do when Plan B just might be A material after all...Completed
1. Love Is Blind

A/N: Here we go my readers, the beginning to my planned trilogy! I really hope you like it. I will be continuing with Curse of the Gypsy and Safer on the Outside while I do this-- after I finish CotG, I plan to start on the sequel to A Fighter's Story. So stick with me!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha. If I said I did, I would be a liar, and who wants to read a fanfiction written by a liar?

Unexpected

Chapter 1

It has been said that all good stories begin with 'Once upon a time...'.

_It has also been said that any story worth telling is all about a girl._

**But this is our story, so it begins a little differently.**

This is the story of three girls...

_That begins once upon a time..._

Under the hood of a car.

* * *

It was a warm afternoon, after school had already been let out. One of those days in fall where it still felt like summer. Despite the warmth, the leaves on the trees had already started to turn their colors, welcoming the coming October days. The nights were growing colder and the first frost had already laid siege.

Still, the sun was blazing high above the driveway on the street of a small suburban neighborhood. A small green car sat in the driveway with its hood up. A Plymouth Sundance to be exact-- not the car of fashion, but it was a means of transportation. The owner of the car paced along the length of the paved driveway, in a very sour mood.

Her name was Kagura Hart. Eighteen years old and still as impatient as a five-year-old. From feet to head, she was five feet nine inches tall, with thick black hair that was always held up in two buns. She said it accented the shape of her neck. Her eyes were large and a dark ruby red. She was a very pretty girl, and would be even more so if she would smile once in a while. Kagura had other ideas, though, and preferred to be a tortured soul with the dark mind of a poet.

"Do you know what's wrong with it yet?" she demanded, looking at the watch on her wrist then back up to the car.

There was a feminine body hanging out of the hood in a pair of grease-stained jeans and a smeared shirt, scanning all that could be wrong with the automobile. "Not yet!" That was Sango St. John. A girl of five feet eight with a head of dark brown hair that was currently stuffed beneath a bandana to keep it out of her way. Her eyes, a light lavender color that shifted to gray depending on her mood, scanned over the interior of the car.

"Be patient, Kagura," a third person said with a light smile. That was Kagome Higurashi, the next-door neighbor and Sango's best friend since kindergarten. "San will find the problem." Kagome leaned against the small wooden fence that separated her yard from the other. Her ebony hair hung down her back, a few inches past her shoulders and left untended because she didn't care much one way or the other. Her dark blue eyes shifted from one girl to the other, an unveiled intelligence shining through.

"If she doesn't hurry up, I'll be late for the meeting," Kagura reminded while balancing herself on the balls of her feet.

"A-ha!" Sango declared from under the hood. "I found the problem!"

"You did?" Kagura asked eagerly, moving closer to her car. "What's wrong with it?"

"You have a broken starter," Sango said, pointing it out for details. "I'll have to replace it, but that will take some time. I also have to get to the school and nick the part from the shop."

Kagura was crestfallen. "You mean… you can't just fix it here so I can go?"

"'Fraid not," Sango said with a frown. "I don't think my usual method of duct tape and super glue will solve your problems this time."

"Great," Kagura growled. "I'm going to miss the election results."

"Not if we take my car," Kagome said calmly. "My mom's home today. I could see if we could borrow her Grand Prix."

"Kagome, if you can get me to that school, you will be my own personal savior," Kagura said sincerely. Kagome only laughed and headed back across the lawn to her house.

"This is good," Sango said with a nod, wiping grease from her hands with a towel, but trailing a streak across her forehead when she wiped the sweat from her brow. "I can grab the part while you're in the meeting and I'll have your ride fixed by tomorrow."

"Thanks again, Sango," Kagura said with a nod.

Sango grinned. "What's a stepsister for?"

Truth be told, Kagura and Sango did not always get along. There was a time, in their youth, just after Kagura's father and Sango's mother had gotten married, that they fought bitterly. Kagura was nearly a year older than Sango, but they were in the same grade. Sango was still at odds with Kagura's two sisters, Yura and Kanna-- who were twins and were both juniors.

Over time, however, an unsteady bond had grown between the two stepsisters. Now, they got along well enough-- Sango fixed Kagura's frequently broken car and Kagura helped keep Sango out of hot water in their domestic situation.

"Okay," Kagome called, hopping down the three stairs on her front stoop. "Mom gave me the keys. We're good to go!"

"Thank you!" Kagura sighed, throwing her hands up to the heavens as she hopped the fence and climbed into the passenger seat beside Kagome in the small gold car. Sango put the hood down on Kagura's Sundance before hopping over and getting into the backseat.

It took them exactly thirteen minutes to get to the large high school. The minute Kagome pulled into the parking lot, Kagura bolted out of the door and took off running toward the auditorium. Sango snickered, waving out the window her wishes of luck. Kagome continued to park before getting out.

"To the auto shop?" Sango asked with a grin.

"I should go down to the field house," Kagome said guiltily. Her face held the trace of a blush as she cracked her knuckles nervously. "I'm sure Hojo would love it if I surprised him and watched him practice."

"You're such a cheerleader," Sango sighed in slight disgust.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said apologetically. Sango had never truly forgiven Kagome for joining the school cheerleading squad in their freshmen year. Granted, she quit the following year and had since not touched a pompom, Sango still held it over her head. "I quit cheerleading sophomore year, remember?"

"Thank the lord you came to your senses."

Kagome only flashed her signature smile as she began walking in the opposite direction of Sango-- toward the football field and the field house. "I just didn't have time for it anymore."

Sango only shook her head in annoyance before heading toward the auto shop, at the opposite side of the school. Hands in her pockets, she whistled as she walked.

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Kagura ran through the halls of the near-empty high school. A few kids still lingered from their prospective after school activities, but she paid them no attention as she sprinted toward her objective. Once more she thanked the gods that she had changed into sneakers before leaving the house. There would have been no way in hell she could have maintained control while in her heels.

Today was to be a very important day in her high school career-- the day they announced the Editorial positions on the school newspaper. Kagura had been nominated to be the cultural reporter and it was the position she wanted more than anything else. Now that she was a senior, her power and authority could be used to get the articles she really wanted published for the potential reading of the student body. Sure, most of the student body would either ignore, or misinterpreted what she meant, but that didn't matter. There were some minds in this student body who would grasp what she was saying.

_At least one body_, she thought with a smirk.

So maybe her motives weren't entirely political. She also hoped to catch the eye of a certain sports columnist hopeful in the meantime. Naraku Shin was suave, brilliant, and charming. He had also been the object of Kagura's eye since their freshman year. She had loved him from afar, shaping herself to be the image of his perfect girl. Still, despite all her outward bravery, any time she attempted to approach him, she chickened out.

Sango said it was because she had some kind of internal tick that told her Naraku was not the right guy for her. Kagura didn't believe that, couldn't believe that. To her, he was perfect. Handsome, intelligent, and charismatic. Not only was he a talented writer-- one who could rock the world with his words if given the chance-- he was also a gothic poet. Like Kagura.

The man of her dreams. And this year, finally, she was going to make him realize that she was the woman of _his_ dreams. The first step was to gain the cultural reporter position. Then she'd move on to step two-- dazzling him with her wit and charm and intellect. But step one had to be achieved first, so she raced to the auditorium.

Pushing the heavy wooden doors opened, Kagura entered the dim hall and looked around. It was set up with stadium seating, leading down to the stage, where the faculty advisor of the school paper stood at a small podium. There were at least thirty people in the room-- half of them running for staff positions and the others just there because it was a mandatory paper meeting.

Kagura took a seat in the back, pulling the shoulder strap of her bag over the side of her head and tossing it into the seat next to her. She was dressed simply, as always, in baggy jeans and a tight red top with her green army jacket. Not all gothic poets wore black, as she liked to remind everyone.

Scanning the other people around, her ruby gaze was drawn to a head of violet-black hair. Kagura sighed wistfully as she focused her attentions on him. The way he held his head with confidence as he whispered to the girl sitting beside him. That dazzling white smile of his only added fire to his dark eyes.

_If only you knew_, she thought to herself. _I would totally rock your world_.

"It's with great pleasure," the advisor said into a small microphone, catching Kagura's attention. "That I introduce to you the new editor of the school paper, Sesshomaru Reaper!"

There were a few scatter applause. Kagura clapped for a few seconds, looking around until she caught sight of a tall boy with silver hair. He regally stood up from his seat, face as deadpan as ever, and ascended the stairs to the podium.

Kagura had been in the same classes with Sesshomaru since middle school, but they never spoke much. He was a rich kid who liked to keep to himself. Though they had some similar interests, the pair of them had some kind of silent appreciation of the other since they had both been on the paper together since freshmen year.

Despite that fact that she never really associated with him, Kagura had to admit to herself that Sesshomaru was a fairly gorgeous fellow. His long silver hair-- a natural color too-- was held back at the nape of his neck. There was a pair of reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, giving him a slight bookworm appearance. There was open intelligence in his gold eyes. Kagura had always held a certain respect for him, which was rare because she respected less people than she liked.

Sesshomaru stood at the podium and adjusted the microphone. "I'm not going to make a speech," he commented dryly. "I just wanted to say that you made the right decision electing me. The paper will be better for it." With that he exited the stage.

Kagura smirked as she watched him. Yeah, she respected him. He was cocky and sarcastic, which alone warranted her esteem. There were a few whispers around the auditorium that signaled the unhappiness of a few other people. It seemed that not everyone shared her feelings about their new editor.

"Well, thank you, Sesshomaru," the advisor said with a forced smile. She was trying to campaign for order again. "Now we'll begin announcing the editorial positions."

Kagura leaned forth on the edge of her seat, long fingers clasping the armrests in breathless anticipation. This decision alone would mark the life or death of her high school career, and her dream of ever making the man she loved fall for her in return.

"We'll begin with the new fashion columnist," the advisor began, looking at a list on a clipboard. Kagura growled in frustration. They always began with the entertainment writers first because they were the most popular. After fashion and reviews, they came to sports. "The new Sports columnist will be… Naraku Shin." Cheers went up from just about everyone in the room, including Kagura. Hers was more an internal cheer, however, but she clapped and smiled.

Then the advisor continued down the list. "The new cultural reporter will be…" Kagura leaned forward, breath caught in her throat. Still, the teacher glared at the list. Kagura swore under her breath. Why was her category the _longest pause_?! "Kagura Hart."

The breath she had been holding was expelled in a rush. A small smirk graced Kagura's face as she gazed around the room and heard the scattered applause. She couldn't decide if it was more shocking to see that Sesshomaru was clapping-- or that Naraku was smiling at her. When she felt herself smiling back, she knew it was Naraku.

A few more people were named, but they didn't matter. Kagura was walking on air, totally at ease with the verdict. When everyone was announced, the advisor once more relinquished the microphone to Sesshomaru. He didn't look particularly thrilled about it either, but he adjusted it once more. "I'll keep this short," he announced. "I expect everyone to work hard to make our paper worthy of being read."

Kagura nodded her understanding. She wanted the same thing too. For the last three years, the paper had just been something of a hobby for the editors. The paper was never taken seriously. He was making it clear that it was all about to change and Kagura was in total agreement.

"Our first official meeting will be Friday after school. I expect everyone to be there, and I expect this to be treated with a professional attitude." With that, the assembly was released and everyone was free to go.

Kagura hung in the back for a few minutes, watching Naraku gather his stuff and his entourage before exiting. During that time, someone came up beside her. Looking up, Kagura raised an eyebrow at Sesshomaru. He regarded her with an equal degree of caution.

"I was pleased to notice you were on the editing staff," he commented, not sounding particularly pleased at all. "I expect a lot from you this year, Kagura."

"I won't disappoint, sir," Kagura said with a salute. "I take my writing very seriously."

"That makes one," he commented as he watched Naraku exit with a girl on each arm, laughing about something or other. "I wish I could say the same about the rest of my staff."

Kagura watched Naraku too before looking back to Sesshomaru. "He's a good writer," she defended. "He's just… eccentric."

Sesshomaru looked at her with an arched brow. "I thought that was only said about the rich when they became crazy."

Kagura quirked a smile. "I've got to go find my sister. See you at the meeting." With that, she took her leave from him and walked out the exit Naraku had used a few minutes earlier. Hurrying, she had hoped to catch him before he disappeared, but by the time she got to the exit, she saw that he was already halfway to the field house. With a sigh, Kagura went in search of her stepsister.

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Sango wasn't all that surprised that the auto shop was still open. It was usually open till all hours, depending on who was there working after school. When she approached the large garage doors, and peered in, she had to scan the room before finding the workers. Garbed in the stereotypical mechanic uniforms were two of her classmates.

"Top of the afternoon lads!" she called, strolling in as if she owned the place.

Whirling, the two workers nearly dropped their wrenches before they realized who it was. "Sango, are you trying to kill us?"

"Come on, we're working on a carburetor here! You know how sensitive they are."

"Sorry, boys," Sango grinned. It was obvious she wasn't sorry in the least as she skipped over to them. "Hi, Grimm, Demon," she greeted then by their nicknames.

Inuyasha "Grimm" Reaper and Miroku "Demon" Yuki were two of the schools most feared outcasts. Sango knew them as a pair of bumbling fools who wanted nothing more than to be left alone in all their uniqueness. Of course, putting dye in the sprinklers on the football field and setting a crate of frogs loose in the girl's locker room didn't make them that inconspicuous. Sango never minded much since she had had a tentative friendship with both of them since freshmen auto shop.

Inuyasha was the brooding, fearless one. He looked a lot like his brother, who was ten months older, sharing both the silver colored hair and the gold eyes. He had attitude to spare, but a streak of kindness in him. He had a cuddly side, Sango was sure, but he just didn't show it often. Inuyasha was too much of a fixer-upper for Sango's taste, but for some reason, she could very easily picture the angry rich boy with her mild-mannered best friend. After over three years of trying, she had still never managed to get the pair of them to meet.

Miroku was a different story. He was openly perverted, often hitting on anything that was attractively female. He was the brains of their little outfit, and was a jokester. Miroku had a head of shaggy, black hair with a blood red streak down the middle and hazel eyes. A pretty boy. Sango had taken a particular shine to him, apart from the fact that his hands would wander occasionally when she was under a hood. Luckily, there were plenty of heavy objects in the auto shop.

"Sango," they both responded. "Why are you here?"

"I need to nick a part for my sister's ride," she said with a grin. With that, she walked over to a table of spare parts. "She cracked her starter and practically had a meltdown in the parking lot this afternoon."

"What model?" Miroku asked, joining her at the table.

"Sundance," Sango replied.

"Year?" Inuyasha asked, joining them as well.

"'89."

"Here," Miroku said triumphantly, fishing out the needed part. "We have a winner."

"Good." Sango grabbed the part and took the rag out from her back pocket to wipe off some of the grease. "I can have this back in by tonight."

"That's if we don't tell old man Myoga that you swiped one of his starters," Inuyasha said with a lazy grin.

Sango raised an eyebrow at him, making the streak of grease on her forehead arch as well. "As opposed to all the parts you took for your Mazda?"

"Ouch," he said with a hand to his chest. "You wound me with your words."

Sango laughed until she heard a call. "San? You in here?"

"Over here, Kagura!" she called back, pushing away from the table. "That's my cue. See you tomorrow, boys."

"Bye, Sango," they called with a wave. Then they went back to working on Miroku's truck.

"Who were you talking to?" Kagura asked when her stepsister immerged from the shop.

"Just two of my classmates," she said with a shrug. "They helped me find your part."

"Great!" Kagura said with a grin. "Now let's collect Kagome and go."

"She's down by the field house," Sango replied, "cheering on Hojo." She paused to roll her eyes as they walked in that direction. "He's such a control freak."

"With a catch like Kagome, he's allowed to be jealous," Kagura said with a shrug.

"Whatever."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome walked down to the field house, already hearing the echoing calls of the cheerleaders and the shouts of the football players. Especially the shouts of the quarterback, the Captain of the team. That was Hojo Montgomery, her boyfriend.

Kagome-- who had read countless romance novels and seen dozens of chick-flicks-- knew that when one was going to rendezvous with her boyfriend, one should get that excited flutter in the pit of her stomach and feel that slight race in her heart. Try as she might, she couldn't conjure sweaty palms or a dry throat. She was just going to see Hojo, and that was all there was to it.

When she made it to the field, she waved over at the cheerleading squad. They waved back, which was surprising considering that Kagome was not one of them anymore. She waited on the sidelines until a time out was called and Hojo trotted over to the bench. When he saw her, his eyes lit up.

Hojo removed the symbol emblazoned helmet and shook out his sandy hair before walking over to her. Without even a word of hello, he simply grabbed the back of her head and covered her mouth with his own. Kagome was startled, even though she had been given this treatment a lot over the three years they had been dating.

When he pulled back, he focused his large, green eyes on her and smiled. "Hey, babe, came to cheer me on?"

Kagome smiled impishly. "I don't think I can stay. I gave Kagura a lift over for a newspaper meeting, and so Sango could get a part to fix their car."

He frowned suddenly and took his hand from her hair. "You're not their servant girl, Kagome. You can stay here as long as you want. I'll drive you home later."

"That's okay, Hojo," she said with one of her sweetest smiles. It covered her annoyance with an endless front of patience. "I was happy to drive them, and I have to work tonight anyway."

"Come on, baby," Hojo said with a kind of whine. He ran a hand up her arm until he gripped her above the elbow, looking at her with an abused look. "You've worked every night this week. Can't you blow off tonight and come to the pep rally?"

"I'm sorry, Hojo," Kagome said with a frown. "You know I can't do that."

Hojo sighed, annoyance entering his green eyes. "Fine. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"I'll be home by eleven," she promised, leaning forward on her tip-toes to plant a quick kiss on his lips before he headed back out to the field.

Turning to head back to the parking lot, Kagome ran a hand up and down her arm. There would be a bruise there by tomorrow, she realized dimly with a sigh. She almost didn't notice that she'd walked into someone; she was so deep in thought.

"Oh, excuse me!" she said quickly, looking up to find herself seeing Naraku Shin. Suddenly she wasn't as sorry as she had been a moment ago.

"Kagome Higurashi!" Naraku said with a wide grin. "When are we going for that coffee I offered you freshmen year?"

"When my boyfriend lets me date other men," Kagome said with a grin. If there was anything good about being with Hojo, it was that a lot of guys were scared of him. It made her feel safer when unwanted advances were pushed on her.

Naraku pouted. "Pity. Call me sometime, baby."

Kagome snorted. "Sure I'll call you," she said with a smile that suddenly turned into a very dark look. "When foul creatures pop out of your back." With a swish of raven hair, she turned and stomped back toward the path.

"I love a girl with fire!" he called after her with a laugh. Kagome shook her head in annoyance. Naraku was shameless and loved to hit on cheerleaders of present and past. She never understood how someone as brilliant and classy as Kagura could like such a cretin. Then again, love _was_ blind.

"Kag!" she heard someone call and saw Sango jogging toward her. "I gots me the part. Ready to head home?"

"Sure," she said with a smile. "Natalie called me before and asked if I wanted to take a shift tonight. Do you think you could watch the boys while Mom and I are working?"

"Of course," Sango said with a smile. "You know I love those animals."

While Kagome and Sango talked at the top of the path, Kagura slipped down closer to the field house, where Naraku was talking to a few of his sporty friends.

"Naraku, Homecoming is in three weeks. Have you decided what lucky lady you'll be escorting yet?" Kagura leaned closer to the wall, making as though she was watching the football practice, but was actually feeding on every uttered word.

"I don't know yet," she heard him sigh. "I've taken out every girl worth the trouble already. I'm just… tired of girls throwing themselves at me."

"Dude, you are sick!" one of his friends laughed.

"Not sick," Naraku laughed too. "I just want a girl who plays a little hard to get."

"A challenge, huh?"

"Exactly! A girl who can crook her finger and have another guy on a leash." Naraku nodded and began to scheme.

"What are you gonna do, man? Go alone and take another guy's date?"

"That's precisely what I mean to do. I want to go to the dance stag and just steal another guy's date. I mean, what guy can actually hold on to girl when I romance her, right?"

They laughed and moved out of Kagura's hearing range, but she had heard enough. Already her mind was working into a plan of action. With a smirk on her lips, she turned back to Kagome and Sango. They were deep in an animated conversation, but she broke it up when she walked over to them. "Girls," she said with a smile. "How would you two like to do me a little favor?"

* * *

A/N: Because my beta was a little confused, I figure a few of you might be confused about the trilogy as well. _Unexpected_ is the first part of a three-story series. I predict it will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-11 chapters. This first part deals with the Kagura/Sesshomaru pairing. _Unknown_, which is the second installment, deals with the Inuyasha/Kagome pairing. It will also be somewhere between 9-11 chapters. The final section which is _Unwanted_, deals with Sango/Miroku pairing. Also, all three of these stories are loosely based on fairy tales, so I'll be throwing in little hints of that nature. I really love the idea for these stories and I hope to continue working feverishly on them! Enjoy!


	2. Recruiting Love Gods

A/N: Ack, I couldn't resist writing another chapter of this story. You gotta go where the inspiration is, right? I have high hopes for this series. (I know everyone wants me to get to the Inu/Kag goodness, but this is a good story too!) I have a soft spot in my heart for Kagura and Sesshomaru stories. They are fun to mess with! Anyway, here is the next chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 2

Once upon a time not so long ago,

In a kingdom not so very far away,

There lived a fair maiden named Kagura,

Who desperately wanted to find her Prince Charming...

* * *

"You want us to find you _what_?" Sango yelped from the backseat as the three girls pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home.

"I want you two to help me find a date for Homecoming," Kagura said evenly. Her ruby eyes glinted with determination and, try as she might, the look of feminine pride wouldn't leave her lips.

"And you can't find your own date because…?" Sango asked with her get-outta-here-you've-got-to-be-kidding-me tone.

"I have an image to uphold," Kagura said with reproach. Sango just stared at her blankly as Kagome giggled a little from the driver's seat. "Okay," the poet sighed. "Any guy I ask would think I liked him or something--"

"Which you don't," Sango added.

"And I don't want to use anyone--"

"Which you will," Kagome mentioned, though not unkindly.

"I just need someone who will go to the dance with me and not expect anything else. Is that so much to ask?" Kagura said with exasperation.

"Depends," Kagome said thoughtfully. "Basically you just want an escort. Why not just call one of those services and pay a guy to take you?"

Kagura blinked, then blushed as red as her eyes. "Are you _kidding_?" she squeaked. "I can't _pay_ a guy to take me out! That would make me look desperate!"

"Well aren't you?" Sango asked. "I mean, you are asking _us_ to find you a date."

"And what's so wrong with asking you?"

Sango grinned wolfishly. "I tend to abstain from the male gender and Kagome's had a steady boyfriend since freshman year."

"She's right," Kagome added. "I'm not very up to date on the whole singles scene."

Kagura sighed, leaning back in her seat with a click of her tongue. "I just need a date for one stupid dance; is that so much to ask?"

"Why are you so desperate for a date?" Sango asked with narrowed purple eyes. "You've never been much of a date machine yourself, Kagura."

Said girl remained silent and opted for looking out the window instead.

"I hope this has nothing to do with Naraku," Kagome commented as they entered their neighborhood.

"So what if it does?" Kagura pouted defensively.

"Whoa!" Sango said, holding up her hands in a 'T' shape. "Time out. Let me get this straight. You want _us_ to find you a date for Homecoming because you want to make Naraku _jealous_?"

"Something like that," Kagura admitted. "I heard him saying that he's going to the dance to try and pick up a date."

"So why not go alone?" Sango asked with a puzzled expression. They pulled up in Kagome's driveway and she hopped out to go inside and get ready for work while Sango fixed her stepsister's car.

"Because he wants to steal a date," Kagura said, growing increasingly embarrassed as she explained. "If I'm with a guy, it will make me more appealing. Get it?"

"All I get is that Naraku is a serial dating creep…" Sango said with a frown.

"That's only because he's never dated a number like me," Kagura said with a grin.

Kagome immerged from her house, changed from her skirt and blouse to a red tee shirt, complete with nametag, and black pants. Her mother, Mrs. Sonya Higurashi, followed her out. Kagome and her mother had similar looks, facial features and the same smile, but Kagome's hair and eyes were from her father-- a fact she did not revel in.

"Hello, girls," Mrs. Higurashi called with a wave.

"Hey, Mrs. H!" Sango called with a wave.

"Hello, Mrs. Higurashi," Kagura greeted with a smile.

"Be quick, Kagome," he mother said with a nod. "I have to be at the diner in fifteen minutes."

"Sure thing, Mom." Kagome scurried to the fence and hopped over it. "I've got to get going, but, Kagura, I think that San and I can help you out."

"You can?" Kagura asked hopefully, a smile blooming on her face.

"We can?" Sango questioned, a new streak of grease adorning her nose.

"Yes," Kagome said with a nod. "We'll find you the perfect date." Sango was about to protest when Kagome cleared her throat. "Sango, could you come over here for a minute. I have to talk to you about watching the boys."

Sango was confused as she walked over, but Kagome's smirk banished her thoughts. "Why did you tell her we'd do it? I don't want to find her a date--"

"Don't worry," Kagome said with a feral grin. "I have the perfect guy in mind."

"You do?" Sango asked, her eyes lighting up. "You gonna tell me?"

Mrs. Higurashi honked the car horn and made a waving motion at Kagome. Her daughter nodded, turning back to her friend. "I'll tell you tomorrow, I promise."

Sango sighed heavily. "I hate you sometimes."

Kagome grinned. "The boys are inside watching TV. Just check on them every once in a while. Make sure Shippou is in bed by eight thirty because he's had a cold. And make sure Souta and Kohaku are in bed by nine. I'll be back by eleven. You know the drill."

"Yeah, yeah, just go already, before your mother has a coronary."

Kagome laughed as she got into the car beside her mother and they pulled out of the driveway. Sango walked back over to Kagura's car and lifted the hood once more. Kagura was pleasantly happy the rest of the afternoon, even sticking around to attempt at helping Sango repair the car. But after she gave Sango the wrong size wrench for the third time, the irate stepsister chased her off the front lawn.

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The next morning saw the Hart house in a flurry of activity.

Mr. Jarod Hart, a successful executive-- or what Sango called a 'Suit'-- was up, grabbing his morning coffee, and leaving before any of the girls had come down from the second-floor bathroom. Mrs. Aya Hart, a successful 'Suit' in her own right, was on her way out the door as she screamed at the girls again to get a move on.

Kanna, always the early riser, bound down the stairs while trying to keep her knit hat firmly over her head of bleach-blond hair. Her natural color was brown-- the same brown as her eyes-- but she spent half of her weekly allowance of hair color to maintain the look of a bleach beach-bunny. She was small, only about five feet tall, with a trim figure and the attention span of a goldfish.

"Good morning, Mom," she greeted Aya as she walked into the kitchen in the pursuit of breakfast.

"Good morning, sweetie," Aya said with a smile. "Your cereal is in the top cabinet. I picked some up on my way home yesterday."

Kanna skipped over and hugged her stepmother before grabbing her sugar-coated breakfast. That was when Yura sprinted into the kitchen and made her way to the cereal as well. Yura, about two inches taller than her twin, was able to wrestle the box from her hands. The taller twin had her natural hair color, which was a brownish-black, and fell around her chin in an angled cut. Her eyes were the same medium brown that Kanna's were.

"Get off, Yura!" Kanna squealed. "I got it first."

"In your dreams, Kanna," Yura argued. "Mom got this cereal for me!"

"She got it for me!"

"Me!"

"ME!"

"Girls, girls!" Aya yelled, getting between them. "I have another box," she explained, grabbing the second box and handing it to Kanna.

"Another crisis averted," Kagura commented as she walked into the room. "Good morning, Aya."

"Good morning, Kagura," Aya greeted with a slight frown. Kagura had never warmed to her stepmother as her younger sisters had. Kagura, nearly two years older, held scattered memories of her real mother and could never relinquish the title to any other woman, no matter how nice she might be.

"Well, I'm going to be late." With a sigh, Aya looked at the stairs leading upstairs and then walked out the door. "Bye, girls."

"Bye!" the three of them chirped.

Kanna, who was munching on her Coco Puffs, looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Kagura, can't you ever wear something _normal_?"

"How do you define normal?" Kagura asked, not really caring. She went over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, black, like she did every morning.

"Something that matches, for starters," Yura laughed.

"I am not as comfortable with showing my breasts as you are, sisters dear," Kagura commented as she drank. "Or should I say, lack there of."

The twin girls huffed. "You know, it's annoying to explain to our friends that our big sister is just some…" Yura trailed off, looking to Kanna for help.

"Paper geek," Kanna filled in.

"Yeah, that she's a paper geek. I mean, think of what that does to our reputations! At least with Sango it doesn't matter 'cuz she's only a stepsister, but still…"

Kagura smiled as she placed her mug in the dishwasher. "I'm sorry I don't fit to your mold of popularity, girls."

"You could try dressing in something brand name," Kanna suggested. "And not… Dad's old jacket and black jeans."

"When you find a brand that sells army jackets and black jeans, I'm _so there_," Kagura assured them. "But until them, I'll continue being a _paper geek_, as you so eloquently put it."

"You're almost as bad as Sango," Yura muttered.

"I think I heard my name!" Sango announced as she bounded down the stairs two at a time, and landed after a graceful leap. Yura and Kanna would have rolled their eyes, but they widened them instead. Sango's nearly hip length brown hair was in two thick braids and streaked with green dye. Her tank top was the same lime green color, beneath her worn leather jacket. "Did my mom leave yet?" Sango asked Kagura.

"Yeah, just a second ago. Why?"

Sango shook her head. "Nothing."

"You're not actually leaving the house like _that_, are you?" Yura said, nearly choking on her cereal.

"Why not?" Sango blinked, looking at herself. "Is there grease on my jacket again?"

"You look fine," Kagura said. "They're just campaigning for Abercrombie again. You ready?"

"Let's make that baby purr," Sango grinned. Together they made for the door.

"Kagura!" Kanna yelled. "Will you drive us to school too?"

Sango turned to Kagura with wide eyes. Kagura looked back at her sadly. She couldn't refuse and Sango knew it. "Yeah, hurry up."

"What about Kagome?" Sango asked. "Can't we just stuff one of them in the truck or something?" Kagura held back a snicker as Yura and Kanna walked past them and outside.

"It's times like this that I wish your mother hadn't sold that motorcycle," Kagura commented as she locked the door behind them.

"You and me both," Sango agreed. "I'll go get Kagome."

"I'm sure she can squeeze into the back seat with those two. She's small enough." Sango snickered as she hopped the small wood fence and sauntered up to the front door. Just as she got there, however, the door flew open.

Kagome nearly walked into Sango. "Oh! Sango," Kagome squeaked, dropping the armload of books she had been carrying. "I'm sorry."

"Let me help you," Sango said with a frown, helping her friend pick up all the papers and books that suddenly littered her front lawn. Kagome was disorganized, which she never was, and there were dark circles under her eyes, which made Sango think she hadn't gotten the sleep that she should have.

"Thanks," Kagome smiled. She brushed out her wrinkled skirt and ran a free hand through her tangled black hair with a sigh. Then she looked to the other driveway and frowned. "_They're_ coming with us?"

"Sadly," Sango agreed. Suddenly, a fiendish light came into Sango's eye as she turned to look at her friend. "You gonna tell me who Kagura's perfect date is yet?"

"I'll tell you at school. There is stuff to explain, and I can't do it while they're around." Sango huffed, but Kagome grinned. "By the way, I love your hair."

Sango returned the grin. "Thanks. It's a tribute to the football team. They have a game tonight, after all. Will we be attending?"

"I think so," Kagome said with a nod, linking arms with Sango and strolling casually across the lawn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After an uncharacteristic silence on the ride to school, Kagura took her normal parking space and everyone piled out. Immediately, Kanna and Yura met up with their friends and took off without a word of thanks or goodbye. No one was surprised.

"Well, my darling girls," Kagura announced with a level of sweetness most unbecoming of her character. "I'm off to first period. I expect to have a list of potential dates by the end of the day."

Her business-like tone made Sango and Kagome laughed before walking on ahead. "We'll let you know how the hunt goes," Sango said with a wave.

"You better!" Kagura retorted, shaking her fist in mock anger. She grinned as they walked on. Pulling the strap of her bag over her head, Kagura headed toward her first class with a small smile. Mentally, she was making a 'To Do' list.

Number 1: Let Kagome and Sango find a date. When you wanted to find a date, then the only people apart from yourself you'd get to do it would be those you trust. Though she wouldn't say that Sango and Kagome were her 'friends', they were the only people she trusted enough with something that important.

Number 2: Go to the first official Newspaper meeting after school and pitch her first article idea to Sesshomaru. As cultural reporter, Kagura had to get all of her topics approved by the editor before going into research. Somehow, she doubted Sesshomaru would have any objections to what she had in mind.

Number 3: Get Sango and Kagome to go to the mall with her sometime that week to pick out a dress for the Homecoming dance. It was a formal dance after all, and there was not a dress to be found in Kagura's closet. An army jacket and jeans wasn't fit for the occasion.

Number 4: Last, but not least, try and think of something witty to say to Naraku at the meeting. If he knew who she was, partly at least, before the dance, it would be more likely that he'd pick up on her when there.

Satisfied with herself, Kagura jammed her hands into the loose pockets of her jacket and continued on her way.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have me drooling here Kagome!" Sango whined as they reached Kagome's locker. Sango slumped against the others, giving Kagome her famous pouting face.

Kagome smiled. It was not very often that anyone had power over Sango. The girl was self-assured and very much in control of herself, but every once in a while, Kagome would find her angle. There was a sadistic side to the normally calm, quiet Kagome. Sango always managed to bring out that side of her.

"So I take it that you really want to know, huh?" her friend laughed.

"You're a fudging genius!" Sango gasped in mock stun.

Kagome looked at her with a half-smile. "Since when have you ever abstained from swearing?"

Sango shrugged. "We're in school."

"Come on, San," Kagome laughed. "When you're with family, go for the gold."

"Fine, then you're a fucking genius!"

"I know!" Kagome laughed. "But I'll tell you."

Sango leaned forward eagerly. "So who is this perfect guy for Kagura?"

Kagome looked around to make sure that no one was in hearing range, then she leaned toward Sango's ear. "Sesshomaru Reaper," she whispered.

Sango stood up so straight she almost knocked her head into Kagome's. "_Him_?" Kagome nodded with a tiny, secretive smile. "Why _him_?"

"God, you say it like he's a bad guy or something!" Kagome scolded. "I admit he's a little stiff, but he's got a lot of character. And he really is just _perfect_ for Kagura."

"What makes you say that?" Sango asked with a puzzled look. "I mean, he's uptight and deadpan. He's got no sense of humor, no life to him. What's there?"

"I'm not trying to set him up with _you_," Kagome laughed. "He's stable, which is something Kagura needs." She listed the reasons while ticking them off on her fingers. "He has a lot of similar interests with her. He respects her and he'd treat her right, unlike that creep Naraku who's only on the search for a new fuck."

"_Kagome_!" Sango said, placing a hand to her chest. "Did you swear?"

"Damn straight," Kagome nodded. "Just trust me on this, okay Sango?"

"Okay," Sango said with a sigh. "I just hope I know what you're doing."

"I do," Kagome said with a grin. "I mean, you're always saying how Naraku isn't good enough for Kagura."

"It's because he's a man whore," Sango said rationally, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, Sesshomaru is like the anti-Naraku. He'll take care of her and she'll lighten him up." Suddenly Kagome giggled and smiled brightly. "I mean, who can resist Kagura's charms?"

Sango laughed too. "Definitely. So how are you going to get him to do it? Got out with Kagura I mean."

"I've got a middle-man I can talk to. And so do you, if I'm not mistaken," Kagome pointed out, poking her friend in the shoulder. "You can talk to his brother."

Sango nearly choked on her reply. "Grimm?" she said brokenly. "Like I could ever ask him to do anything. You know that the Reaper brothers are famously at odds with one another!"

"Okay, don't ask him. Just make a few subtle hints and fish information for me, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Sango nodded, then looked up. "Who's your middle man?"

"You know who Sesshomaru's friends are?"

Sango shook her head. "Apart from the rest of the paper squad, who Kagura says doesn't like him that much anyway, no. I didn't think he had any!"

"He has two," Kagome said with a brilliant smile. "Bankotsu and Jakotsu."

Sango blanched. "You mean that really punkish guy and his very feminine boyfriend that sat at our lunch table last year?"

Kagome nodded. "That would be them."

"Sesshomaru is friends with them?" Again Kagome nodded. "Are you sure he's straight?"

Kagome laughed then and nodded while trying to control herself. "I'm sure. Jakotsu and I have the same clothing design and sewing classes. He's told me time and again about how, before Bankotsu that is, he 'put the moves' on Sesshomaru. But alas, he still likes women."

"_That _is your middle-man?" Sango asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't be such a homophobe," Kagome laughed. "Not everyone can change oil as fast as you can, Mechanic Girl."

"Sorry, I left my cape in my other jacket," Sango replied dryly. Then she shook her head and smiled. "I'll catch up with you at lunch. We'll talk more."

"Relax, San," Kagome reassured her as she headed in the opposite direction down the hall. "Everything will be fine."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything was not fine. Everything was not fine at all.

"What do you mean it's not good enough!?" Kagura growled loudly. Half of the newspaper staff turned to look at her. She paid them no mind and just glared heatedly at the editor of the paper. Sesshomaru paid her little attention as he went back and forth between workers, checking their progress and voicing comments on improvement.

"It lacks vision," he said when he looked up at her between workers. "You need to put some more thought into this."

"Sesshomaru, I _put _thought into it. Lots of thought! That's why I picked it as my first article!" Kagura insisted, lagging on his heels. "How can you shoot it down?"

"Easily," he muttered, turning to grab the small pad from her hands. "High school social groups," he read, flipping through a couple papers of notes. "Sports classes. Respect issues. Privacy rights." He paused to take the glasses off his nose and shake his head. "We've all read articles on these topics. I want something fresh."

Kagura grabbed her notebook back and glared at him with flaming ruby eyes. "They haven't been done by _me_ so they haven't been done good enough."

Half the staff held their breath as they watched the display of power. Kagura was a known and respected journalist on the paper. Many of the staff liked the work she did, and liked her well enough. Sesshomaru was known to be hard and unrelenting when it came to his work. Both were well matched when it came to stubbornness, so the result of this scuffle was indeterminable.

"Kagura," Sesshomaru said slowly, with the monotone patience he always displayed. "You get me a human rights topic that hasn't had an editorial in this paper before, and I'll give you free range on the rest of your articles for the entire year."

"Deal!" Kagura said, jumping on the chance. She held out her hand, which he reluctantly took. "I'm going to dazzle you, Paper-boy," she teased.

"You'd better," he said warningly. Taking back his hand, he went back to his rounds. Kagura watched him go with a smirk, holding her notebook firmly. Oh, she'd get him a topic all right. And she would make sure it blew him away.

That was when Naraku walked in-- more like swaggered. Sesshomaru looked up and frowned slightly. "You're late," he commented.

"I had a pressing appointment," Naraku said with an easy grin. Sesshomaru was not impressed.

"You'd better start coming on time, or I'll cut you from this paper," he said seriously. "And wipe the lipstick off of your face. The shade does nothing for your complexion."

There were a few chuckles as Naraku glared daggers at Sesshomaru, who paid him no further mind. Kagura seized her chance, grabbing a tissue and walking up to Naraku. "Here," she offered to him.

Naraku took it with a grin and wiped the lipstick that had clung to the side of his mouth. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem," Kagura said with a sassy grin.

"Kagura, right?" Naraku asked, as if only just realizing who she was.

"That's me," she said with a nod. "Don't let Sesshomaru get to you," she added. "He's only trying to make the paper the best it came be, even if that means turning into a fascist dictator."

Naraku chuckled. "Yeah, right." He tossed the tissue into a nearby wastebasket, mimicking a hot-shot basketball player.

"Two points," Kagura laughed when he got it in. "See you around."

"Definitely," Naraku said with a nod, eyeing her slightly before moving on.

All right, _now _everything was fine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, now," the teacher said happily. "I've reviewed all of your new designs and I love every idea. Today, we'll get started on the first part of our project. Picking the fabric!"

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The clothing design teachers always had some kind of ADD disorder, or thought the class was in the elementary school range. It didn't matter really, since that just meant Kagome was in the class good enough to practically teach themselves.

Her design classes, three in all, were the only non-college level courses that she was taking in her senior year. Her stress relievers, and her ticket to a good design school. _If_ she could manage a scholarship, that is.

Today her mind didn't dwell on fashion design. Today she waited until the teacher was busy explaining the difference between crushed velvet and normal velvet. Then she turned to the boy who sat in the desk beside her--the only boy in the class.

"Psst, Jakotsu," she whispered. He was too enthralled in the discussion to actually hear her. "_Jakotsu_!" Kagome hissed. He looked up, then turned in her direction.

Dressed as he normally did, in a tight multi-colored shirt and his favorite pair of 'huggy' jeans, Jakotsu was a very pretty guy. His dark hair was held back in a simple loop and his equally dark eyes sparkled with some inner fire.

Jakotsu normally didn't get along well with females, something about hormones or the like, but he and Kagome got along well enough. He was known to be a little overzealous, and she was mellow enough to keep them balanced, which was why they often worked together on projects. They shared a similar taste in clothes, and oddly enough, in men.

"What, Kagome?" he asked under his breath. "I've never known this much about velvet fabric before!"

"I need to ask you a favor," Kagome whispered. "It's romantic and I am lost without you."

After three years of long discussions of men and clothes, Kagome knew exactly what buttons to push in order to make the romantic in Jakotsu putty in her hands. "Romantic, you say?" he asked. Yes, his attention was all hers now. "And just what does this entail?"

"I want to set Sesshomaru up with my neighbor," Kagome explained. "Do you think you could help me out?"

"Is your neighbor a guy or a girl?"

"She's a girl, but she acts like a guy," Kagome said with a half-smile.

"Oh, I guess that's okay," Jakotsu said after a moment of thought. "Give me more details after class."

And so Kagome waited for him outside after the bell. When Jakotsu swaggered out to join her, he indicated that she should walk with him through the quad. "Dish, girl," he said once they were outside.

"My neighbor, her name is Kagura Hart, has got bad fashion sense, which I very much hope to remedy," she told him, knowing just the right things to say. "She needs a date for the Homecoming dance. She works on the paper with Sesshomaru, and you're always saying how you wish he had a significant other."

"Why do you want to set her up with _him_ though?" Jakotsu asked, wrinkling his nose slightly. "His brother is cuter, just as straight though." He frowned slightly, then perked up. "I guess I could give it a try. We'll have to talk to Bankotsu about it, though. He and Sesshomaru are all buddy-buddy."

"Okay," Kagome said with a smile. "We can talk after the game tonight. That is, assuming Bankotsu is still able to play after you wear him out."

Jakotsu winked. "Let's hope I leave him with a little energy."

Kagome laughed and took her leave. She was sure the football player would agree to help them. Both of Sesshomaru's friends wanted to see him happy as much as Sango and Kagome wanted Kagura. Pieces were starting to fall into place.

* * *

A/N: Muhahahaha! I couldn't resist! The next chapter will be out soon too, so stick around! Thanks to all those who have so far reviewer this story. Stick around, it's going to be great! Please remember to review though, because it's always fun to hear what you think.


	3. The Game of Love

A/N: I'm sick! I should be working fiercely on Curse of the Gypsy, but I'm struck by inspiration for this story that can not be ignored! I swear it will be updated soon, I just have to get this out before it dries up, you know?

WARNING: I've been getting a lot of reviews that keep asking for Inu/Kag in this story. I thought I made this clear before, but I guess I'll have to go through it again. This story is _Kagura/Sesshomaru_. That's why I have it filed in their characters. The next installment of this story is Inu/Kag. There will be **no Inu/Kag** in this story. I'm sorry if this bothers some people, but that's how it is. The next story, _Unknown_, is totally Inu/Kag, but this is my Kagura/Sesshomaru story. And it **will not be changed under any circumstances!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the awesome show Inuyasha. Nor do I own any songs by the excellent band _Yellowcard_. All I own are my own ideas and a few material possessions. So if I were to be sued, the best they could hope for is Frank the Toaster.

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 3

So on her search for true love,

Kagura turned to the only people she trusted,

And they took on the quest of finding the Prince,

But that was when they came across a frog...

* * *

"Hey Sango, check this out!"

Sango St. John, the only girl in her advanced auto shop class, was currently in the process of washing up after a day of being up to her elbows in grease and oil. The last period bell had rung a few minutes before, signaling the end of the day. The girl always took her time though, since she didn't have to worry about taking a bus home.

"What do you two want?" she asked, turning to see what she was being called for.

Inuyasha and Miroku, the only other people in the classroom with her, were checking around, to make sure no one was left to spy on them. Inuyasha disappeared outside. Miroku was signaling for her to come over. Sighing, she trudged over to where he was standing near the open garage door, hands dripping soapy water.

"Grimm and I got these from the junk yard," he said with a grin. "We're gonna fix them up." He grabbed her elbow to take her around the corner and Sango had a brief thought that he was going to leave a greasy handprint on her now-clean arm. But as long as it was Miroku, she didn't much mind-- as long as her elbow was all he touched.

Pulling her around the corner into the unused corner of the parking lot where the auto shop usually stored the broken cars they fixed up, Miroku and Sango joined Inuyasha. He grinned, standing next to something beneath an old pool cover. Gripping the blue plastic, he pulled it off.

"Jesus!" Sango exclaimed, striding forward. There, leaning against the wall, were two beaten and broken motorcycles. They had seen better days, that was for sure, but with some hard work, they could be restored. "The frames are perfect!" Sango exclaimed, turning to the boys. "You're turning into bikers on me?"

"We've always been bikers at heart," Miroku grinned.

"It's a worthwhile venture," Inuyasha explained. "Especially since Demon sold his truck for parts."

Miroku blushed lightly. "The piece of shit couldn't be saved," he said firmly.

Sango grinned. "No doubt. You were in here fixing it nearly every day."

He smiled back. "I have high hopes for this venture."

Sango looked back and forth between them. "If it's a big secret, why tell me?"

"You're the bike expert," Inuyasha said simply. "Perhaps you might lend us a hand?"

"What's in it for me?" Sango asked easily.

"What do you want?" Miroku asked. Suddenly, Sango's mind began clicking back to her conversation that morning with Kagome. This was her perfect in with the middlemen. Kagome wanted information, right? Information she would get!

"I have a proposition for you, boys," Sango said as her lips curved into a dangerous smirk. Inuyasha and Miroku began feeling nervous. "I'll help you with your bikes if you'll be my little moles."

"Moles?" Inuyasha questioned skeptically.

"I want you to get me info on your brother," she said simply.

Both Inuyasha and Miroku paled. "_What?!_"

"Cool your jets," she said simply. "I just want some personal information. You know, his schedule, his likes and dislikes, what music and movies he likes. Stuff like that."

Miroku and Inuyasha looked at her strangely. "Why do you want to know that?" Miroku finally got the courage to ask.

"My friend Kagome and I want to set him up with my stepsister," Sango said with a casual shrug. "Playing cupid is very involved, you know."

"You are _trying_ to set my _brother_ up with your stepsister, _on purpose_?" Inuyasha asked with a horrified look. "Are you insane!?"

"It wasn't my idea!" Sango said, holding up her hands. "It was Kagome's! I'm just going along with it because I can't think of anyone better." Shaking her head, Sango tried to give a rushed explanation. "She wants us to find her a date for Homecoming because she really wants to get that asshole Naraku to notice her or something, but Kagome wants her to get a better guy, which I totally agree with. And Kagome knows Sesshomaru better than I do, so I just figured, why not?"

She explained the entire explanation in one breath and only paused then because she ran out of air to speak with. Sango gulped in another breath, and Miroku held up his hands. "Okay, you win!" he conceded.

Inuyasha nodded. "We'll find out what we can, but you have to help us with the bikes. Deal?"

"Deal," Sango grinned. "But it'll have to wait until tomorrow," she added.

"Why?" Miroku asked, trying to be subtle. "Got a date or something?"

Sango scoffed. "Hardly. I'm going to the football game with Kagome, so she can cheer on her boyfriend." Rolling her eyes, Sango headed back into the shop to finish washing up and head out to meet up with her best friend.

Inuyasha elbowed Miroku. "Smooth, Romeo," he laughed.

"Don't be hatin', bro," Miroku said with a frown. "I don't see you courting any of the finer sex lately."

Inuyasha shrugged. "None of these high school chicks are worth my time," he said seriously. "Cars are my only love."

"Yeah, right," Miroku laughed, gripping the handlebars of his motorcycle and wheeling it toward the shop. Inuyasha followed.

"I'm serious man! You show me a girl worth the trouble, and I'll happily play the game of love. And you can be sure I'll do it better than you do with Sango!"

Miroku didn't comment, only blushed as he watched the girl in question sprint from the shop, green and brown braids flying.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome stood in her usual place, the same place she always stood when waiting for Sango to come-- behind home plate on the varsity baseball team, just across the way from the football field and one of the student parking lots. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and she leaned against the fence with a bored expression.

"Sorry I'm late!" Sango called as she rounded third base and headed for home. She was struggling into her leather jacket while keeping a firm hold on the one good strap of her backpack.

Kagome smiled. "It's okay. I've got news for you!" she said excitedly, ready to divulge her plans.

"And I've got a surprise for you," Sango said with a grin.

"You first," Kagome laughed.

"I was able to secure Grimm and Demon for recon!" Sango announced. "They'll be gathering info on Sesshomaru for us so we can plan."

Kagome grinned throwing an arm around Sango's shoulders. "How did you get them to do that?"

Sango smiled. "They need my expertise." At Kagome's look, she explained better. "They purchased two old motorcycles to fix up. They got a list of problems, but the frames are solid. They'll need a lot of work, but you know how devoted I am to the craft of motorcycle repair."

"Of course," her friend said with a nod. "They went to the right girl for help in that department."

"So I bribed them," she giggled happily. "They get me information and I'll help them out."

"Harpy!" Kagome exclaimed with a grin.

"Yeah well, what can you do in today's world?" Kagome had to agree. "What about you? Did you get Jakotsu in?"

"He's into it, but we're going to talk it over with Bankotsu after the football game. You know he's starting tailback?"

"Well, the boy can run," Sango said with a nod. "Look how long it took Jakotsu to catch him!"

They shared a laugh as they skipped down toward the football field. Already it was filling with school supporters and rival fans as the opposing team rolled up in their school bus. A banner adorning the yellow paneling read "The Wandering Knights".

Over the loudspeaker, the game announcer began his usual opening montage. Kouga Wolfe had been on the football team last year until an injury on his arm required surgery and took him out of the game. Now he was the high-spirited announcer for every game, and he was very good at it, being a loudmouth in his own right.

"Okay, everyone!" he said happily. "Get ready for a great game tonight. Our opponents, the OBHS Wandering Knights. Will they triumph against our beloved Fighting Frogs?" There was a thunderous shout of outrage from all the fans adorning green. "I didn't think so!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome and Sango took their usual seats for the game, front row in the right bleachers. It was right behind the Frogs' bench, so Kagome could happily cheer on Hojo. Sango, who was less of an avid Hojo-fan, but was an enthusiastic fan of football games, cheered on the Frogs. She also heckled the other team mercilessly, creating a mass chant of "Knights Suck" at least three times. Each time Kouga was forced to tell them to shut up by the principle in the press box.

For all the excitement in the crowd, it was equally exciting on the field. It began where the Knights swept by the Frogs to score two touchdowns in the first quarter. Yet, the Frog fans were not disheartened, and the beloved amphibians made a comeback by halftime, scoring two goals of their own. Still, the Knights kept them running, and the third quarter ended with them up by three points. It looked as if it were all over for the Frogs, until they pulled a stunning upset and scored a touchdown and won the game.

Frogs and Frog supporters all erupted into pandemonium at the first win of the season. Hojo, star of the game, even jumped the divider between the field and the bleachers to give a victory kiss to Kagome before going back to celebrate with his team. Kagome, still rather shy with the public displays of affection, became flustered, but smiled nonetheless. Sango only made a face and grabbed her friend by the elbow.

"Come on, let's go find Jakotsu and Bankotsu." Kagome nodded and turn to tell Hojo. Looking at him laugh and fool around with his teammates, she decided it better not to get him involved. First she'd deal with her friend's issues; then she'd deal with her own.

"Right," Kagome replied as she followed Sango down the stairs and toward the back of the bleachers. As expected, Jakotsu and Bankotsu, still in his uniform and pads but minus a helmet, were there. And they were involved in an activity that made Kagome blush politely as she looked away. Sango cleared her throat loudly.

In an attempt at humor, she lowered her voice to a more masculine pitch. "Yo, I got yo' money. You got my smack?"

Jakotsu, who still hand his arms around Bankotsu, rolled his eyes and looked over at his boyfriend. "I forgot to mention that we had an audience with those two after the game."

Kagome grabbed Sango's shoulders and smiled apologetically. "We can come back later if you want," she offered. "Don't let _us_ interrupt."

Bankotsu shrugged and frowned slightly. "The moment's gone, so we might as well talk."

"I'm really sorry," Kagome apologized again. She could imagine the awkwardness of having someone walk in on you during an intimate act. Her brothers had opened the front door after one of her dates with Hojo to find them making out on the front step. She hadn't been able to look anyone in the eye for days.

Both boys shrugged nonchalantly, as if to say it wasn't the first or last time someone caught them together. "So what is this little gathering under the bleachers about, anyway?" Bankotsu asked. Clearly, his mind was jumping to certain conclusions. Sango, whose mind was equally filthy, jumped to the same and quickly held up her hands.

"It's nothing sexual, at least nothing sexual involving any of us present," she said firmly. "We're here on behalf of my stepsister."

"And what does she want with us?" Bankotsu asked.

"Nothing," Kagome said with a secretive smile. "We're attempting to hook her up with your friend, Sesshomaru. That's why we come to you, begging for help."

"Kagome asked me in class today," Jakotsu told his boyfriend while toying with the end of his braid. "I said we should ask you, since you'd probably have more sway over his majesty's mating habits."

Bankotsu considered this, watching both girls with a level gaze that gave nothing away. Kagome met his gaze evenly, proving no ulterior motives. Sango got a little bored and clicked her tongue. The football player's gaze shifted to her. Sango met it unflinchingly, as fearless as ever. "Which sister are we talking about here?" Bankotsu finally voiced.

The Hart sisters were famous in the school, but he would be damned if he set one of his best friends up with one of those featherbrained twins. "Kagura," Sango said with a smile.

Bankotsu broke into a grin at the sound of her name. Kagura Hart was probably the bossiest, darkest, and scariest bitch in the entire school. Never had there been a woman more perfect for Sesshomaru, as if she had been crafted for the man himself.

"Oh, we'll help you," he said with a grin and a nod.

Kagome and Sango both grinned happily. "Perfect!" Sango announced.

"For right now, all we need you to do is convince Sesshomaru to go to the Homecoming dance," Kagome explained. "Once we get him to agree to go, then we can move on to 'Plan B'."

"What's Plan B?" Jakotsu asked.

Kagome smiled that secret, signature half-smile that showed her at her prettiest. "Helping the two of them fall in love of course," she declared.

"Do you really think it will work?" the two men asked her.

"No," Sango said flatly.

"Come on you three!" Kagome said, hands on her hips with a determined look in her dark blue eyes. "You've got to believe in the power of love. Things just… have a way of working themselves out."

"If you say so," Jakotsu said. "Let's just hope your instincts extend beyond fashion."

Kagome laughed. "If I can master buttonhook stitch work, I can do anything."

"We'll work on Sesshomaru," Bankotsu said with a nod. "You guys work on Kagura. Somehow I doubt she'll go for the idea easily."

"You and me both," Sango nodded. With that, the two pairs parted. Sango and Kagome headed back to the parking lot while the football player and his boyfriend decided to spend a little more time under the bleachers.

"I'll go get Kagura to take us home," Sango said with a sigh. "She's probably still working on her articles."

"I'll meet you two at the car," Kagome agreed. The green-haired girl scampered off and Kagome continued on her way to the car. When she didn't find it in the normal spot, Kagome remembered that Kagura moved the car closer to the school when she had a paper meeting. With a sigh, she headed towards the back parking lot near the auto shop garage and the English hallway of the school.

She located the Sundance, but the parking lot was free of Sango and Kagura. With a sigh, Kagome hopped up on to the hood to wait. After a few minutes, she heard steps, but when she looked up, she didn't see her friends. Instead, Hojo was walking toward her. He was changed into normal clothes now, with his helmet and gym bag tucked under one arm. Kagome smiled and turned toward him.

"Hey," she waved. "Why aren't you going out to celebrate with your comrades?" she asked playfully.

"I wanted to see if I could convince you to come with me," he said when he reached her. He tossed his stuff to the ground and positioned himself in front of her, hands resting on her hips and eyes level with hers.

"I'm sorry, Hojo," Kagome said with a frown. "I can't tonight."

"Why?" Hojo asked with a sigh. "It's Friday. You don't have to work or anything."

"I have the boys tonight," she reminded him.

"Can't you get Sango to watch them? It's not like she has a boyfriend or anything."

Kagome felt her annoyance rising. It was like she was caught in some kind of war between Hojo and Sango. Both of them threw barbs at each other through Kagome, disliking from afar. "She was watching them yesterday. I'm not imposing on her again. And you know I always watch them on Fridays. It's tradition."

"They're old enough to look after themselves," Hojo insisted. "You can come out for a few hours."

"Kohaku is only eleven," Kagome said with a frown. "He can't handle a Souta and Shippou alone."

"Can I come over then?" he asked, pulling her off of the car.

"You should go out and celebrate with your team," Kagome reminded him. "You _are_ the Captain."

"Do you not want to spend any time with me?"

Kagome looked away from him, angry more with herself than him. Other girls didn't have so many excuses in their lives to prevent them from being with their boyfriends. She did want to spend time with him, but for Kagome Higurashi, time was not something that was easy to come by. "I do, you know I do! But the team needs you more tonight." He only grunted in response. As a sign of appeasement she asked, "What about tomorrow night?"

"I can't," he said with a grimace. "I have to go to help my father."

"Sunday night, then?"

"Sunday night," he agreed. As he leaned in to seal it with a kiss, Kagome heard a cough nearby and moved her head. Hojo met her cheek and Kagome saw that they were being watched by two guys in the auto shop. Her eyes went wide and she turned away, face growing redder by the second.

"What's the matter?" Hojo asked.

"Those auto shop guys are watching," she whispered. "You know I'm not a fan of PDA."

Hojo sighed and turned away from her. "You know, sometimes I don't know why I try so hard with you, Kagome," he said loudly.

"I don't know either," she whispered to herself as she watched him grab his things and stomp off. He stomped past Kagura and Sango on their way to the car, pausing long enough to snort at Sango. She only raised her eyebrow-- and would have raised her fist if Kagura hadn't grabbed her arm.

"Don't make things hard for Kagome," she reminded.

"Why was he in such a huff?" Sango asked when they got to Kagome.

"Auto shop guys were watching us," Kagome said as she crawled into the backseat and hid her red face in her hands. "I didn't want him to kiss me."

"Auto shop guys…?" Sango stuck her head out the window and spied Inuyasha and Miroku coming out of the alley where they stored their bikes. "Figures," she muttered as they drove home.

"Do you think Sango saw us?" Miroku asked Inuyasha as they saw the car pull out.

"Why does it matter?" Inuyasha asked.

"'Cuz she might think we were spying on that girl," he explained. "Then she'd be pissed. My arm just healed from the wrench incident!"

"That was for your hands, if you'll recall," Inuyasha reminded him. "Not for spying on some chick being molested in a parking lot."

Miroku nodded reluctantly. "Do you think that was the infamous Kagome?"

"What do I care?" Inuyasha said while rolling his eyes and cleaning up his work to head for home. "You saw how she was jerking that football player around. Just another girl playing the game."

Miroku sighed and watched him friend with a frown. "You really have no faith in tender feelings, do you?"

"Not especially," his friend commented. "I've gotten this far on my own. I doubt my lack of feminine attachment will stunt my life any more."

"Grimm, I say this because I am your friend and I love you," Miroku said, flinging an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "You need to get laid, very badly."

Inuyasha laughed and shook his head.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Hart household was quite that evening. Both parents were working late. Yura and Kanna had gone to a victory party at one of the team player's houses. Kagura and Sango had nuked some day-old burritos in the microwave and had retired to the living room to work on their respective activities. As most high school students, weekend homework was held over until Sunday night. And since neither had dates nor parties nor places to be, they worked on their hobbies.

Sango was tempted to go next-door and watch videos with Kagome and her brothers, but she didn't. Friday night was the only time in the week Kagome could just lay around with her three younger brothers. She didn't want to intrude on that. Instead, Sango brought her guitar downstairs and sat on the couch with it over her shoulder, plucking at the strings.

Kagura sat on the other side of the room, one of her notebooks in her lap. One pen was in her hand, flying across the page, and the other was tucked behind her left ear. They each worked in comfortable silence between them. It was because of nights like this, when they were alone together, that Kagura and Sango had grown so comfortable in one another's presence.

After an hour of varied tunes from Sango and false-started poems by Kagura, the poet cracked her back and looked up at her stepsister. "Hey, San?"

"Yeah?"

"Think you could play me some inspiration music?"

Sango grinned. "What would you like me to play, exactly?"

Kagura shrugged. "Whatever you got."

"No problem!" Sango said excitedly. "I just perfected this song and I meant to play it for Kagome. I'll try it out on you first." Kagura grinned as Sango tuned her guitar just right and began to strum out a tune. It was fast paced and exciting. A few bars into it, Sango even began singing the words, an uncalled for pleasure, one that had Kagura smiling as she leaned back in her chair. Sango's voice was like a clear bell, as thick as syrup, the kind of voice that could haunt a person till their dying day. It was a voice meant for singing and nothing else.

"_Mary belongs to the words of a song. I try to be strong for her, try not to be wrong for her. But she will not wait for me, anymore, anymore. Why did I say all those things before? I was sure._

"_She is the one, but I have a purpose. She is the one, and I have to fight this. She is the one, a villain I can't knock down. I see your face with every punch I take, and every bone I break, it's all for you. And my worst pains are words I cannot say; still I will always fight on for you._

"_Mary's alive in the bright New York sky, the city lights shine for her, above them I cry for her. Everything's small on the ground below, down below. What if I fall, then where would I go, would she know?_

"_She is the one, all that I wanted. She is the one, and I will be haunted. She is the one; this gift is my curse for now. I see your face with every punch I take, and every bone I break, it's all for you. And my worst pains are words I cannot say; still I will always fight on for you. Fight on for you_…"

When she let the last chord fall, Kagura applauded with a smile. Sango grinned, obviously satisfied with her work. She patted her guitar happily. "I can also play it on the violin, but I wanted to do it on the guitar too."

"What song is that?"

"_Gifts and Curses_, by _Yellowcard_. It's only from the best movie _ever_."

"Spiderman 2?" Kagura laughed.

"You know me too well," Sango giggled. "I fell in love with the song. _Yellowcard_ is one of the only bands I can stand that uses violin in their music."

"That's because it's punk rock," Kagura reminded her. "And that's only because you're a little punk yourself."

Sango stuck out her tongue, playfully. "Did it help open the creative gates?"

"It will," Kagura said with a nod. "Mostly I was just bored and I wanted to hear you sing."

Sango actually blushed. Her music was the only thing about herself that she was insecure about. Compliments meant the world to her. "Anytime, Sis."

Kagura smiled. Then she remembered one of her steps from her list. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"No idea. Why?"

"Do you think you and Kagome are up to a trip to the mall?"

---------------------------------------------

"I can't believe there isn't one dress in this entire mall that I want to wear!" Kagura screamed at the top of her lungs. She stood on a bench in the middle of the first floor of the mall. Several passersby stopped to openly stare at her.

"Kagura! Get down before someone calls the Rent-a-cops on us!" Kagome yelled at her, hands on her hips. Sango was no help at all since she had dissolved into a fit of giggles when her stepsister had taken control of the bench like a street prophet raving about the end of the world.

"It's indecent!" Kagura declared. "Immoral! _Impossible_!"

"Obviously it _is _possible!" Sango said with a grin. "We've been through the entire first floor and you've yet to find a dress you even _like_."

Kagura pouted as she hopped off the bench and allowed Kagome and Sango to grab her arms and drag her to the escalator as Mall security started heading in their direction. "We can hide in here," Kagome said. The three of them ducked into a clothing store and waited until the coast was clear.

"Might as well look around," Kagura commented, wandering among the racks.

"I doubt we'll find anything here," Sango said while wrinkling her nose. "This is a preppy store."

"Hey!" Kagome said with a frown. "I used to shop here!"

"Exactly," Sango grinned. "But luckily you don't anymore."

"No," Kagome grinned back. "Now I shop at K-mart."

Sango shrugged and the pair followed Kagura. After a while of wandering, the seniors three sighed as one. "It's no use. I'll never find a dress," Kagura whined.

"I could always make you something," Kagome said with a shrug. "I'm almost finished with my own. I'm gonna use it double for Prom."

Kagura winced slightly as she looked at Kagome. "Kag, you know I love you designs… " she began, not having the heart to really go through with it.

Kagome only smiled. "It's okay to say no. I don't think anything I've done recently is your style anyway."

Kagura gave an apologetic look and searched in vain a little more. "I have give up on the youth of today!"

Sango pulled the two smell headphones attached to her MP3 player out of her pocket and put them in her ears, playing a few tracks by lesser-known bands called _Divinity Destroyed _and _Your Best Regret_. "You'll just have to stop being picky is all," she said plainly.

"Hmph," was her intelligent reply. "Where are you two on helping me get a date?"

"We have someone in mind," Kagome replied, looking at a dress longingly. She tore her gaze from the fabric to look at Kagura and smile slightly. "We're just waiting to see if he'll do it."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Sesshomaru, buddy," Bankotsu greeted his long-time friend with an innocent smile. He waltzed into Sesshomaru's study, a small room adjacent to his bedroom on the second floor of his family's rather lavished home. Sesshomaru himself sat behind the desk, papers strewn about around him. Jakotsu followed a few steps behind, still eyeing the expensive furniture that adorned the room. Sesshomaru's mother had such great taste!

Sesshomaru regarded him for a moment. "Whatever you want, the answer is no," is what he said before looking down at the papers he was reading.

Bankotsu scowled and turned to Jakotsu, who had come up beside him. "Oh, stop pouting," his boyfriend said to Sesshomaru with a frown. "You have no social life beyond the newspaper. What we want, we want because we love you!"

"What exactly do you want?" Sesshomaru asked, not looking up but adjusting the glasses on his nose.

"We want you to go to the Homecoming dance."

"No."

"We want you to go with a _girl_ to the Homecoming dance."

"No."

"We've already got you a date," Jakotsu said with a shrug. "So you might as well give in."

"No," Sesshomaru repeated, until he realized what his soon-to-be-ex-friend just said and his eyes widened a fraction. "Please tell me he did not just say he already got me a date," he asked of Bankotsu.

"Sorry, dude," Bankotsu said with a shrug. "It's already worked out."

Sesshomaru calmly placed the papers down on his desk. Then he took the glasses off of his nose, folded them gently, and placed them on top of the papers. He eased his chair out from behind his desk, stood, and walked toward his friends with a calm that only came before a fierce storm.

"If I were to kill both of you right now," he asked rhetorically in an airy tone, "would that be murder or charity?"

"Murder," Jakotsu reminded him, taking a small step back and hiding behind his boyfriend. It wasn't the smartest of moves, considering that Bankotsu was a few inches smaller than his energetic boyfriend.

Sesshomaru crackled his knuckles and glared. "Who did you two geniuses set me up with anyway?"

Bankotsu was more at ease in the face of an angry Sesshomaru than Jakotsu. "You have to agree to go first."

"No," Sesshomaru said with narrowed eyes.

"We already made arrangements with her two friends," Bankotsu said languidly. "Just say you'll go."

"Tell me who she is."

"Agree to come."

"No."

"Then we won't tell you."

"…"

"What was that?"

"Fine."

"Good," Bankotsu said with a nod, obviously pleased. "Congrats to you, Sesshomaru, you're the lucky man who gets to escort Miss Kagura Hart to this year's Homecoming Dance."

"…Fuck."

* * *

A/N: Yay! Finished again! _Curse of the Gypsy _and _Safer on the Outside _are coming alone, I promise! They are just taking a while considering my co-author is on vacation and I've been very busy as of late. Please remember to review because you're reviews make me happy! And thank you for reading!


	4. Close Encounters of the Romantic Kind

A/N: Ee! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please keep it up! Ha! I finally updated _Curse of the Gypsy _and I will update it again much quicker than last time. I also hope to get _Safer on the Outside _up sometime in the next week or so. Anyway, I'm very much in love with this story, and I'm pouring myself into this work. Enjoy chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any fairy tale for that matter. I just own a little notebook where everything that leaks out of my head is put. And Frank the Toaster, who makes my life worth living…

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 4

* * *

With the aid of the frog and the fairy,

The maidens Kagome and Sango continued on,

Each had an important task to complete,

In order to help Kagura's tale end happily…

* * *

After a fruitless search at the mall, all Kagura wanted to do was go home but she managed a pit stop by the school to drop off Sango. As she promised, she was off to help Miroku and Inuyasha with their motorcycles. A St. John always kept their word; her father taught her that.

"I'll call you if I get any goods," she promised Kagome as she got out.

"Oh, God yes," Kagome laughed. "I'll be in hell while Ayame is gone, leaving me to run the store all by my lonesome."

"You'll be fine," Sango laughed as she waved.

"Bye!" Kagome and Kagura waved back.

"So," Kagura said casually. "What _goods_ are the pair of you digging up?"

"On your potential date," Kagome said with a smirk. "We want to make sure he's 100% before we set him up with you."

"100% what? I'm afraid. Our definitions are never the same thing!"

"100% _perfect_," Kagome laughed. "If he's anything less, he's not good enough for you to go with."

"Well, that's true," Kagura smirked and nodded. That only caused Kagome to laugh harder.

Meanwhile, Sango sprinted toward the auto shop, stuffing her MP3 player back into her pocket. As expected, Inuyasha and Miroku were in the shop, bikes and tools laid out accordingly. The pair of them, streaked in grease and dressed in the shop coveralls, was arguing over what to start first.

"Hi, boys!" Sango called, making both of them jump. "I see I haven't missed much."

"You would have if Demon would stop being an ass and just help me get started on the brakes!" Inuyasha growled.

"We should work on the engines before starting on the brakes," Miroku argued. "Why bother stopping if you can't go, _Grimm_?"

Sango rolled her eyes and made her way over to the tall shop lockers. She shrugged off her leather jacket and stepped into one of the large jumpsuits she often wore while working in the shop, in order to protect her clothes from ruin. While the boys behind her argued some more, Sango went about her usual routine of stuffing her long fall of hair down the back of her shirt, then pulling on an old baseball cap—backwards of course—to protect her head. Grabbing a pair of goggles from one of the workbenches, she sauntered over to the two old bikes.

"Fuel lines are shot," she muttered, inspecting the rusted pipes and decaying wires. "Definitely need new mufflers… rust's eating through the metal. New tires too."

Getting back up, Sango strolled over to the shop teacher's desk. Mr. Myouga—or Myouga to his students—was a small man with a round body and a bald head. Still, he knew more about vehicles than anyone else in the school, and he put up with less than any other teacher. Wise, but strict. Sango adored him. As she rummaged through the top drawer of his desk, she found a pen and grabbed a clipboard from his workstation.

Walking back over to the bikes, she began jotting down a list of the work needed to be done on each bike. Eventually, Miroku and Inuyasha stopped arguing long enough to see what she was doing and wandered over. They hovered about, trying to read over her shoulder, but Sango only grinned and moved to block their view.

"You know," she commented. "I could buy a brand new Harley for the kind of work you'll have to put into these things." Both boys looked crestfallen. "It's a good thing you have me to walk you through it!"

Inuyasha smirked. "Getting a little full of yourself, aren't you, Sango?" he asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Haven't caught up to you yet, Grimm," she said with a playful wink of a lavender eye.

"What do we have to do?" Miroku butted in, grabbing the clipboard from Sango's hands.

"A lot!" she retorted, trying to grab it back from him.

His eyes widened as he read over the list, blood slowly draining from his face. "Are you serious? We have to do all of_ that_?!"

"'Perfection doesn't come cheap'," Sango quoted.

"But I don't have the money to buy all these parts," he complained. "I bought this piece so I wouldn't have to spend my life savings giving my truck an overhaul."

"Then you wasted your money," she said simply. "These bikes are in a sad state and will require a lot of love to come back from the brink of death."

"I have an idea," Inuyasha stated. Sango and Miroku turned to stare at him blankly. He only scowled at them. "Don't give me that look! This doesn't involve frogs or anyone's shorts on the flagpole, okay?"

They just grinned sheepishly at him.

"Tell us your brilliant plan," Miroku said, hopping up onto one of the workbenches.

"We could convince old man Myouga to make these bikes our midterm or something, you know? A final grade. We could work on them in class; he'd supply the parts. We could do an entire overhaul."

"You know," Sango said with admiration. "You're not as dumb as people think you are."

"No, I am," he grinned. "I just hide it well."

She laughed; then snapped her fingers. "Before I forget, did you guys get me what I asked for?"

"You mean the 'mole work' on Sesshomaru?"

"Right-o."

"Yeah, we got it." Inuyasha grabbed up his backpack from his workstation, unzipping it in order to pull out a few sheets of paper. One of them had a stain that looked like coffee, and another was smudged with grease. She wasn't surprised, but she was when she began flipping through the scrawled information.

"Wow, you did _good_!" she exclaimed. Before her was a well-documented list of random facts, including every CD and DVD owned by Sesshomaru and his daily schedule printed from his Palm pilot.

"He was pretty distracted last night," Inuyasha commented. "It was surprisingly easy to get it all."

"Only one more thing I need," Sango said with a smile. "Then you two will officially have a mechanic to work on your bikes."

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Kagome sat behind the counter of the video store, tapping her nails on the wood in a fast rhythm. She was dressed in black pants, her red shirt emblazoned with "Starland Video" on the pocket, and the tag bearing her name. There was a small TV beneath the desk so that she could watch the surveillance camera in the back of the store in case of shoplifters. The register hummed next to her, waiting happily for the chance to ring up a rental or purchase.

She hated it when her boss left her alone in the store. Granted, the owner of the store rarely stepped foot into the building itself. Daisuke Montgomery owned half the businesses in town, including the dinner and the bank where Kagome's mother worked. It was little surprise that Kagome would work for the same man that her mother worked for, but it _was_ surprising that she dated her boss's son.

Hojo was always trying to convince her to work less, or to quit her job all together, but she always refused. Her family needed the extra income, even if that meant less social time for Kagome. And working at the video store really wasn't so bad, at least not when Ayame was there.

Ayame Rei, the fiery redhead who often worked the register with Kagome, was her only friend at work. She was the kind of girl who could make a joke out of any situation, and find the good in any person. Kagome had taken an instant like to the girl, and they always tried to coordinate their schedules together, but when Kagome had asked for extra hours, she also inherited the lonely Saturday nights.

She was bored stiff, same as always. Usually she'd bring her homework and get it done in her free time, but by some fluke, she didn't receive any this weekend. Instead, she had brought a new romance novel with her to read in case of emergency, but hadn't the heart to pull it out just yet. She was, after all, only an hour into her shift. If she started reading now, what would she do for the next seven hours?

In her annoyance with the quiet, Kagome walked over to the radio in the corner, the one that fed into the store speakers. She quickly adjusted the dial so that some alternative rock music blasted into the empty isles. Normally, she'd play a lot of piano ballads, or soothing music, or even dance music, but tonight she felt like something to keep her energized. That was when the phone rang.

"Starland Video," she chirped with as much energy as she could.

"Kag, it's Sango!"

"Oh, San, thank God it's you!" Kagome said fervently. "I was contemplating death via osmosis."

Sango giggled a little, told someone behind her to shut up, then continued. "I've got some great news! The two idiots came through! We've got enough information on Sesshomaru to write a novel."

"Really?" Kagome asked, hands gripping the phone in rapture. "That's great! We can begin Plan B now!"

"Yup, we just gotta get the two of them together, you know?"

"_Sango, come on!_" a voice from the background yelled. "_We have to get out of here._"

"Duty calls," Sango sighed. "Boys are so impatient, you know?" There were a few grumbles from the background and Kagome had to laugh. "But here, let me give you Sesshomaru's number," Sango said, reading a number off quicker than Kagome could find a pen.

"Say that again! You talk to fast!" Sango repeated it and Kagome wrote the number on her hand. "Okay, see you later sweetness."

"Bye, Kag."

While contemplating calling Sesshomaru or not, Kagome dug into her backpack that contained her change of clothes and reading material. She had also brought her sketchbook, something she never left at home. Kagome never considered herself an artist because of her resentment in the title, but if she ever decided against a career in fashion, art was something she could fall back on. Laying the pad down on the counter, Kagome began drawing out an idea that had been stuck in her head for days. Drawing cleared her head, and before she knew it, she was reaching for the phone.

"Maybe I'll just give him a little buzz," she muttered while punching in the numbers. "It couldn't hurt to soften him up a little."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sesshomaru sat in his office, like he did almost every evening.

It was not as though he couldn't go out. Sure, sometimes he had to baby-sit his little sister, Rin, who was only eleven, but mostly he just didn't want to. Jakotsu and Bankotsu were always trying to get him to party with them, hang out recreationally and instead of on school time. Sometimes they even managed to wrench him from stacks of papers and out into the night, but only when he was really out of touch with his priorities. Of course, he would hardly participated in their debauched and depraved acts of teenage normalcy. He'd guard the car, if anything, since they always managed to take _his_ Lexus.

It was not as though he couldn't get a date either. There had always been this or that girl who wanted him. Sesshomaru was in no way deaf or blind to how females looked at him. He had been blessed with an inborn male beauty, something he attributed to his father. But he was a man of vision, and had no time for high school romance.

At least, that was what he had always thought. Never would he admit to his fascination with Kagura Hart, not that anyone would ask. He had never met a more dedicated writer, or a more ingenious mind, not to mention the fact that she was pretty damn hot. He respected her, which was a rarity for him. Attraction was something unexpected and not entirely welcome. It interfered with his work, and his work was his life.

The last thing he needed right now was to be backed into a corner with a blind date. Much less a blind date with the one person in his school he'd actually consider dating. He was too swamped right now. With college applications and the newspaper and the intern work he was doing for his father, unlikely romance was at best… unlikely.

Still, even after he had dismissed all intentions of going through with the date—much to the dismay of his two friends—he still couldn't get any work done. He was simply sitting at his desk, watching the metal balls click together on their wires—the strange office knick-knack had been given to him by his younger brother as a Christmas gift. "Something to make the office look lived-in" was the exact term, if he remembered correctly.

So here he sat in his office, doing nothing but watch hours of his life tick away uselessly before him.

At least, that was until the phone next to him rang, knifing through the silence and making him jump in his chair. Momentarily disoriented, he groped for the receiver and brought it to his ear to stop the loud noise.

"Hello?" he muttered.

"Sesshomaru?" a distinctive female voice inquired.

"Yes," he said slowly, processing the voice. He knew that voice… but it couldn't be…

"Oh good! I caught you during your busy schedule of reading and filing." She laughed, and in that moment he knew exactly who it was.

"Kagome?"

"Wow! I'm impressed that you recognized my voice," she said with amusement.

"I would be lax in my duties if I forgot your voice," he retorted. "But I wasn't aware that you had this number."

"Truth be told, I just got it tonight," Kagome responded cheerfully. Oh, how she was enjoying this.

"And how, may I ask, did you come by it?"

"Oh no!" she laughed. "I'm not divulging my sources. Really, a paper man of your caliber asking me to break my journalistic oath and reveal a source?"

She was just mocking him now, and that was beginning to annoy him. "Kagome…" He used his warning tone, the one that clearly conveyed that if she had a point, she'd better make it fast.

Kagome sighed, placing her pencil down and shoving the sketchpad under the counter. The door chime had sounded, signaling the entrance of a customer. Naturally, she had to act with some decorum. "Out of curiosity, have you talked to Jakotsu or Bankotsu recently?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the phone. "Yesterday as a matter of fact. Why?"

"Did they, by chance, mention Homecoming to you?" There was a certain innocence in her voice, but he knew where she was going. She was one of the 'friends' that Bankotsu had mentioned, in regards to his escorting Kagura to the dance.

"Kagome, please tell me that you had nothing to do with this blind date…"

She smiled to herself. His voice was flat, but she thought she could just make out a hint of anxiety. "Sorry, but I am. And it's not a blind date. All you have to do is take her to the dance, nothing else. You don't even have to take her home! I swear, there will be no touching involved!"

Kagome turned around as she saw the customer approach the counter. He was a boy about her age, maybe half a foot taller that herself, with a backwards baseball cap over his head and a long brown duster. What struck her as strange was that he was wearing sunglasses—even though it had been dark for nearly an hour. Mentally, Kagome rolled her eyes. It was obviously some stunt to look cool.

"Hold on a second," she said to Sesshomaru, catching the phone between her shoulder and the side of her head when her costumer reached the counter. "Welcome to Starland Video," she chirped in her usual salesgirl voice, smiling falsely. "I hope you found everything you needed."

"Uh-huh," he muttered dismissively, tossing a DVD and a video game on to the counter.

"Kagome, are you at work?" Sesshomaru asked into her ear.

"Yeah, girl's gotta earn her money somewhere, right?" Kagome laughed while she typed a few buttons into her computer, multitasking like a pro.

"Won't you get into trouble?"

"No, my boss is never here, so it doesn't really matter," she told him while grabbing at the scanner. "Soul Caliber 2," she commented to her customer while scanning the case into her computer. "Excellent choice."

"Whatever," he said with annoyance. "I don't mean to interrupt your phone call or anything, but can you hurry it up?"

Kagome had to struggle to keep her false smile in place. "Yes sir, just give me a minute."

That's when the door opened and the small bell chimed, announcing another costumer. This was another teenaged boy, who scanned the area before catching sight of Kagome's customer. "Grimm, man, hurry up! I'm going to start chewing on your car seats if we don't get to some food!"

"Chill, Demon," the one called Grimm barked. He turned back to Kagome with a frown. "Can I go yet?"

"That'll be $11.56," Kagome said with a frown of her own, handing the two disks over. "They're both due back next Sunday, by noon."

He tossed a wad of crumpled bills on the counter. "Keep the change, that way you can pay for the rest of your phone call." Then, he stalked out of the store.

Kagome scowled. "Bite me, jackass," she muttered, counting out the $12 of her sale and tossing it into the register.

"Rough night?" Sesshomaru asked, carefully veiled amusement in his tone.

"Annoying costumers," she responded. Then she forcibly brightened her mood. "Tell me you'll take her, please? I'm going, so it's not like you'll even have to dance with her if you don't want to. I can spirit her away!"

"I seriously don't know about this..." Sesshomaru had removed his glasses and began chewing on one of the tips—a nervous habit he had been trying to break for quite some time.

"Why Sesshomaru Reaper," Kagome declared with a wicked grin that he couldn't see. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were _scared_!"

That made him bristle with indignation. Male pride suffered nothing more fiercely than when a woman insulted his bravery, and Kagome knew that well. "I am not afraid," he said calmly, collected.

"Prove it," she dared.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," he said just as calmly. It was true, and Kagome was momentarily stumped. Then she smiled again.

"Prove it to _her_."

There was a long pause on both ends of the line until finally, "I'm going to regret this; I feel it in my bones."

"So you'll do it? Yay!" Kagome cheered.

Sesshomaru grumbled somewhat to himself. "Go back to work. We'll talk again."

"Okay, say hi to Rin for me!"

With that he hung up, and Kagome was no longer quite as bored when she resumed her post at the counter.

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Kagura had a bad feeling about this.

It wasn't one of those nervous or jittery feelings, like when you were about to take the first plunge on a roller coaster, or one of those numb, bad feelings where you're waiting for something to jump out at you in a haunted house. This was one of those pit-of-your-stomach bad feelings. The kind you get when you ask your stepsister and her best friend to find a date for you to the school Homecoming dance.

And they actually find a date.

"Do I know him?" she asked as they strolled down the hallway Monday morning.

"Yes," Sango said with a firm nod. She had taken charge as soon as the pair of them announced their intentions. They were going to introduce Kagura to her date that morning, in the hopes of setting up few 'rendezvous' as Kagome called them. That way, everything would be worked out.

"Does he know me?" she asked, feeling a little too nervous.

"Yes," Kagome reassured her, patting her arm and smiling softly.

"I'm having second thoughts about this…" she said, digging in her heels.

"Too late," Sango said with a frown, tugging her along by the iron-grip she had on Kagura's elbow. "We went through a lot of trouble to set this up. I thought you wanted Naraku to notice you?"

"I do!" she said firmly. "I just… maybe I can do it some other way. I mean, using a guy like this…"

"You shouldn't have asked us to help then," Kagome said matter-of-factly. "'Cuz he's coming this way."

Kagura looked all around, trying to find someone the two girls beside her might have decided to hook her up with. So far, she found no one up to par. "Where is he?" she asked, swiveling her head around.

"There," Sango pointed.

Kagura's jaw dropped as she saw her stepsister point at none other than Sesshomaru Reaper, exiting the newspaper office casually. For the first time in her life, Kagura Hart was speechless. That in itself was not a good sign at all.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter 4 is done! Thank you to my editor for giving me a good tip for the Inuyasha/Kagome situation—there will be a few more brief encounters between the two of them where they have no idea who the other is. Please remember to review—and read my other stuff! (Shameless plug, but who cares!)


	5. Unspoken Attraction

A/N: Muhahaha! Working hard on my trilogy. Been working on my cover shots (check my bio for very awesome fan art by my wonderful editor!). Anyway, the Olympics have inspired me—I'm writing again! Thanks to my new friend MoonlightShadow4 (read her work!) for encouraging me!

I would not like to thank the phone company for shutting off my phones for the last 5 days, or the American gymnastics team for forcing me to watch them every night. (Forgive me, but for 16 days every two years, my brain shuts off and I can do nothing but sit on the couch with my brother, eating tacos and watching sports!)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anything by Edgar Allen Poe. I admire them both, and one day I just might be rich enough to touch one of them… (This is with the knowledge that one is a dead poet and the other is fictional…)

Unexpected

Chapter 5

Kagome and Sango had convinced him,

The Frog Prince they hoped would be their answer,

But Kagura was not at all pleased,

So the two maidens schemed of love once more...

* * *

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,  
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,  
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,  
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."

For some reason, those were the first words to pierce her brain as she stood there.

Kagura Hart had never been a woman to quake before any man. She had never been afraid of any male—nervousness not included—and she vowed that she would never be. And yet, when Sango pointed Sesshomaru Reaper out as the man she would be attending a High School dance with, a cold shiver of fear knifed down her spine in half an instant.

It took her that long to realize that she was going to kill Sango and Kagome, and to wonder just how far it was to the nearest women's bathroom. That was where she hoped to hide for the next few months—just until graduation. But by then it was too late. He had spotted the three of them and was walking over.

Kagura didn't know whether the pensive look on his face was an insult or a compliment. All she knew was that it meant trouble if she ever wanted his respect enough to run her articles.

"Good morning," he commented to all three of them at once, but his eyes never left her.

"Hi, Sesshomaru," Kagome said in a friendly tone. It made Kagura wonder how _her_ neighbor girl knew him so well.

"Hello," Sango said noncommittally. The stepsister had no opinion of the newspaper editor, she only had assumptions formed on the words of others.

"Morning," Kagura finally said for herself, surprised by how dry her throat had become and how small her voice sounded. It disgusted her. _"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door; only this, and nothing more."_ This statement was chanted in the back of her brain. A metaphor for her life. He was merely the editor, another student; there was no reason to be so suddenly nervous. He was taking her to a dance. He was merely visiting her world, not staying, just like everyone else. It was just a show of good faith.

Nothing more.

But if it was nothing more, why were her palms suddenly sweating, and why was her face suddenly getting so hot? Holy shit, she was blushing!

Kagura quickly looked down, then up, then to the sides. Anywhere but at him. It was too humiliating. Couldn't Sango and Kagome have found someone else? Anyone else! Why did it have to be the one person whose respect mattered to her! This was her editor, one person who openly liked her work. Now he'd realize she was just some pathetic little girl who couldn't get herself a date because she was too busy pinning over a guy who'd never noticed her before.

Could this day _get_ any worse?!

Naturally, thinking this only made the day get worse...

"Well, I'll leave you two to work out the details of your date," Sango said with a yawn, trudging over to Kagome and grabbing her by the arm.

"I guess I'm going too," she laughed. "See you two later!" Kagome and Sango disappeared down the hall towards the auto shop. Kagura glared after them, the fires of a thousand hells flaring to life in her ruby eyes. Oh, how she would enjoy killing them...

"I must say that I was surprised," Sesshomaru commented lightly, adjusting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder.

"What?" Kagura asked, blinking and looking up at him in confusion.

"I was surprised," he repeated. "When Jakotsu and Bankotsu told me that they had arranged a date for me to Homecoming via your two friends."

"Two very dead friends," she growled, still staring in the direction they had gone. Then, aware of how bad that sounded, she quickly turned to him. "Not that you're not a good guy. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of girls who'd love to go to Homecoming with you—"

"Just not you," he filled in, a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.

That annoyed her. "I never said that! It's just that… you're my editor and it's kind of awkward."

"Why is it awkward?" he asked, raising one eyebrow in question. "It's not like I pay you or anything. It's a school newspaper, and I don't think it's against the rules for us to socialize outside of the office."

Kagura opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't find her voice. Was he saying that he _wanted_ to go out with her? Sesshomaru Reaper wanted to go out with _her_? She made a few attempts at speech, but they died in her throat. That only served to make him smirk again.

"Whatever is the matter, Kagura? Cat got your tongue?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Shove it, Reaper," she snapped.

"Ah, good. For a moment there, I thought you were going to faint."

"Haha," she laughed falsely. "Your wit astounds me."

"And you cut me with your words." Naturally, she did no such thing and they both knew it. What was really surprising was that they were having a rational conversation. It was something they had never truly taken the time to do before. And what was even more, it was actually… nice.

"So, you'd actually go to Homecoming?" Kagura asked, finally getting them back on to the subject at hand.

"I wasn't planning on it," he said casually. "I'm not one for social events."

"What a surprise," she injected.

Sesshomaru gave her a leveled golden gaze. "If you're just going to insult me, perhaps you should find yourself another escort."

Kagura snorted. "As if you'd take offense by anything that I'd say."

Sesshomaru shrugged one shoulder. "Criticism is one thing, but out and out insults are another."

"We're digressing again," Kagura pointed out, a smile touching her mouth.

"So I noticed."

"Then let me skip to the point before we get off track again," Kagura said while running a hand through her bangs. "You'd seriously go to Homecoming with me?"

"If you want me to," was his reply.

"You seem as good as anyone," Kagura commented with the sweetest smile she could muster. Sesshomaru only raised one brow before rolling his eyes. Okay, so maybe the day wasn't getting worse.

"The dance is two weeks from Friday," he commented.

"So?"

"We should get coffee after school sometime next week and plan what we're going to do," he said logically. "I'm not much for school dances, so you'll have to help me prepare for what will probably be a very uneventful and embarrassing evening."

"This is like the blind leading the blind," Kagura scoffed. "I'm not exactly Susie High School."

"Then we'll just have to ask someone more experienced," Sesshomaru said rationally.

"And who, may I ask, would that be?"

"Kagome."

Maybe she should have just quit when she was ahead.

* * *

Sesshomaru got home earlier that afternoon than he had in a while. That was because it was the first time in weeks he hadn't stayed after for the newspaper. He just had too much on his mind and not enough energy to put that into writing. So, naturally, he did what most other teenagers would do—he went home to watch television.

There were eight televisions in the house. One in the living room, one in the family room, one in Rin's play room, one in their father's den, one in their parent's master bedroom, and the other three in the guest rooms. Sesshomaru only liked the large wide screen television in the den, mostly for the black leather couch he so enjoyed to lounge on. Unfortunately, the wide screen television was occupied already when he got in.

Inuyasha was sprawled over the couch, one foot hanging over the armrest and the other hanging over the side to the floor. His head was hanging over the side so that he was staring at the screen upside down. All the while, he was attempting to play Soul Caliber II—and failing miserably.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru voiced from the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"I play my best with the blood rushing to my head," was all he said.

Sesshomaru merely closed his eyes, willing himself to believe this to be a rational answer, then turned to leave. "I'm going to pool," he said with a sigh. "If anyone calls, take a message."

"Who'd call you?" Inuyasha called back. "And I'm not your goddamned secretary!"

Sesshomaru neither heard nor cared. He simply climbed the large marble stairs to the second story of the house to drop of his things and change so he could get use out of the family's very large heated pool. It was cleaned and cared for by a pool cleaning service every week, but the pool itself was rarely used.

As he was walking back down and heading out back, Sesshomaru didn't stop to examine his surroundings. He barely noticed the luxury in which he lived. It was just how he always had. His parents were very wealthy, both from wealthy families, and both with lucrative jobs. That was simply how things were, and he was neither smug about it, nor miserable. Sesshomaru had grown to be rather indifferent to such things as wealth.

"Sesshomaru!" a voice called him.

Pausing as he was about to open the sliding door in the kitchen, he turned partially to see the large frost glass doors were open, and a small girl was entering the house. Small in size, with a head of brown-black hair that fell layered to her shoulders apart from a small ponytail on the top of her head. She was attempting to tug her backpack—which had gotten caught between the doors—while balancing a large model volcano in her free arm.

"Help!" she squeaked. Sesshomaru tossed his towel to the counter and walked over, taking the model from the girl's arms and opening one of the doors so that she could free her backpack and stumble inside. "Thanks," she said with a toothy grin.

"You should be more careful, Rin," he commented with a small smile in return. "I don't think Mother and Father would be happy if you got volcano all over the Persian carpet."

The young girl blushed dully. "Sorry."

"Come on," he said with authority. "We'll put this in the kitchen." He headed in that direction, Rin at his heels.

"I got third place in the science fair," she chirped. "My volcano was a big hit because it was the only one that actually imprisoned the tiny army men in baking soda ash to imitate the affects of Pompeii."

Sesshomaru placed the volcano on the small kitchen table, then turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Inuyasha helped you with that, didn't he?"

Rin smiled and nodded. "He gave me the army men and everything!"

Sesshomaru lowered himself into a crouching position so that he could look her in the eye, gold to chocolate brown. "Why didn't you ask me to help you Rin?"

"Because you helped me with my book report and helped me study for my math test and you helped me make the collage for history. I figured I could squeeze a science project out of Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru smirked and patted his little sister on the head. "You're a smart kid," he complimented.

"It's because I hang out with you too much," she said with another smile.

"Flattery will get you no where," he reminded her, getting to his feet. "Go bother Inuyasha. He's in Father's study playing a video game."

"Yay!" Rin cheered, tossing her backpack next to the volcano before racing off to annoy her other brother. Sesshomaru shook his head, picked up his towel, and headed back outside to the poolside. He didn't hear the phone ring.

Rin, who had since wrestled the controller from Inuyasha and was riveted to the screen in a video game induced coma, would be no help in zoning out long enough to answer a phone. Thus, a grudging Inuyasha had to answer. He grumbled as he got up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen, since their father had refused to have a phone installed in his den.

Grabbing the receiver, Inuyasha gave his customary greeting. "What do you want?"

"Is Sesshomaru there?" a female voice asked casually. It sounded like she was doing something else at the moment and was only giving half of her attention to the phone.

Inuyasha, who was rather disgruntled at the moment, took that to be a personal insult. "He's busy, so call back another time!" With that, he slammed the receiver down and turned to stomp back into the den. This time he would regain the power of his PS2 controller.

The phone rang again before he even got out of the room. Eye twitching in annoyance, he picked it up. "What?!"

"I would like to speak with Sesshomaru," the voice said. Now her entire attention was on the phone call.

"I told you, he's busy!"

He was about to hang up again, but she stopped him. "Well then I'll leave a message!"

"I'm not his secretary, sweetheart," Inuyasha drawled. "You'll just have to call again later."

"You're a very unhappy little man, aren't you?" the girl said with a sigh. "That's too bad."

Inuyasha bristled. "Listen wench, I don't know who you think you are—"

"I'm just a friend of Sesshomaru's trying to get in touch with him who somehow managed to get routed to you. I am sorry to inconvenience you, sir. I'm sure you're busy trying to hide your insecurities, but save it for Oprah, okay?"

"You… y-y-ou bitch!"

"I'll call Sesshomaru later. Maybe then I won't have to go through _his_ bitch. Have a nice day." With that, she hung up. Inuyasha stared at the phone, sputtering in anger. He had half a mind to call that bitch back up and chew her out—until he remembered that he had no idea who she was, let alone what her number could be. Instead, he slammed the phone down.

"DAMMIT!" he howled. That was when the phone rang again. Inuyasha lunged for it, grabbing it off of the receiver and growling venomously. "You fucking bitch, if you ever call this number again I'll _fucking kill you_!"

"Inuyasha…"

He winced. "Hi, Mom…"

* * *

Kagome tossed the cordless phone on to her bed with a disgusted sigh. "What a jerk," she fumed, but was content she got the last word. Whoever that idiot was, she was glad she'd gotten one up with him. Hopefully when she called later, Sesshomaru would be in his study and she wouldn't have to call the house number again.

With a small huff, she collapsed on to her seat at the windowsill again, facing the side of the house. It was flung open, allowing a warm breeze to filter into the small attic room she lovingly called home. It was a very small room, just enough room for her bed and her dresser and her desk, but Kagome decorated it in her unique style and made it feel homey. Kagome wouldn't be considered a neat-freak, but her room was uncommonly tidy. Considering the house was filled with three unruly young boys, she figured one room should look habitable.

From her seat, she placed her sketchpad in her lap and looked over the final results of her latest sketch. With a satisfied smile, she set it aside and pulled over a large paper bag full of cloth material. Digging through, she started looking for the perfect material in which to make her newest design.

"Kagome!" Someone called her from below. Turning around to look toward the backwards, she could see Sango sitting on the top of the old picnic table in her backyard. Her guitar case was beside her, but she held her violin in her hands. It was ritual to play outside if the weather was nice enough. Sango never really enjoyed being indoors.

Kagome waved down. "Hi, Sango!"

"Come down and play with me!" Sango yelled up. A few summers ago, Sango had taken it upon herself to teach Kagome to play the keyboard. That Christmas, she had even given her keyboard to her best friend.

"I'm busy! And Hojo's picking me up in half an hour!"

"Whhhhhhhhhhhhyy?" Sango whined.

"Because I have a date with him, that's why."

"Come on, Kag! Just for a few minutes!?"

Relenting before Sango hurt her throat by screaming, Kagome grabbed her material bag and headed down the stairs towards her backyard. In her effort to pass through the house, she went to the second floor where her little brothers' bedrooms were. Souta and Shippou shared a room, where as Kohaku—the oldest of the three—had his own. The room at the end of the hall was their mother's. All three boys were currently in Kohaku's room, fighting over who would played first on Game cube.

Kagome smiled to herself and shut the door so that their arguing wouldn't wake their mother. Then she continued outside to her usually seat, on the top rung of the fence next to Sango's picnic table.

"No keyboard?" Sango asked with a slight frown. Her hair was free of the green now. She had just finished scrubbing it out, and let the long fall of damp hair air dry free down her back.

"I'm working on a new project, and I'd much rather listen to you anyway."

Sango plucked at a few of her violin's strings. "What are you working on?"

"I'll tell you if I get it done in time," Kagome said with a wave of her hand. "But I did just finish my Homecoming/Prom dress today."

"Really?" Sango said, an excited look in her eye. Now, Sango was not the kind of girl who normally put much stock in fashion, but she held much love for Kagome's designs and a lot of respect for the other girl's work.

"Yeah, I'll show it to you tomorrow," the other girl promised. "I'm afraid it's not as good as some of my other designs, but I can't pull off too intricate of a design."

"I think that's a double-edged statement," Sango said thoughtfully, putting her instrument under her chin and poising her bow over the strings.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, eyes trained on the fabric in her hand.

"What I mean is, you put your work in very high esteem, but yourself in less."

"Some of us aren't as gifted as you are, dearest," Kagome laughed. "You'd be so much more beautiful if you'd come out from under that layer of grease."

Sango rolled her eyes as she began playing a tune on her violin. "I have no time or patience for beauty," Sango explained as she had a million times. "You, my friend, are much more beautiful then you realize. Where as I hide behind grease and a bad attitude, you hide behind old clothing and intellect."

"I don't need to hide," Kagome countered. "I already have a boyfriend."

"Hojo's a shield," Sango observed even though her eyes were closed and her fingers moved over her polished instrument. "He's to protect you from falling in love. Basically, it's all issues that go back to your father."

Kagome stiffened, her fingers balling into fists even though material was still clutched between them. "Can we _not_ go there please?" she asked with forced politeness.

"Suit yourself, but it won't make the fact go away," Sango said with Freudian sincerity.

Kagome only grunted and was spared from further comment when Kagura strolled into the backyard. She held an air of annoyance, though she had a smile plastered on to her face. As soon as they saw her, Kagome and Sango became afraid.

"Hey, Kagura," Sango said with a shaky smile. "What's the matter?"

"Did you know that there are over 3400 students in our school?" she asked casually, leaning against the fence that separated the two yards.

"Yeah, so?" Kagome prompted.

"And out of those 3400, you can safely assume that half of them are male. Correct?"

"Yes?" Sango answered, not sure if she should agree or simply run.

"Then, out of 1700 boys, why in God's name did you pick _him_?!?!" Kagura dropped the fake smile and raged, stomping back and forth in front of the picnic table. "I would have gone with a freshmen over Sesshomaru! Okay, well, maybe not a freshmen, but definitely a sophomore! Why did you do this to me?" Kagura stopped her fit by slumping down on to the picnic table, her head in her hands.

"We did it because we love you," Sango said easily.

"Sesshomaru is a good guy!" Kagome said suddenly. "Maybe he's not 'The Ladies Man' like Naraku, but he's serious and sincere. He's a _real _person; he's genuine. Naraku is all about showing off, not about depth. We wanted you to go with a real _man _before you decide that Naraku is the epitome of male perfection."

"But he's _Sesshomaru_!" Kagura protested. "He's two steps above a pocket protector! With the glasses and the newspaper and the Nazi behavior… He's nothing like Naraku."

"Hello! That's the point!" Sango interrupted. "He's a nice guy, whereas Naraku is a playboy asshole. And, hate to break it to you, Sis, but you're a newspaper geek too."

Kagura huffed. "I am _not_ a newspaper geek."

"How would you describe newspaper geek?" Kagome asked with interest. Then she answered her own question. "Someone who works for the newspaper, who tries their all to make it respected and worth while, someone who takes it seriously and devotes a good portion of their life to it. That's you, Kagura."

Kagura leaned forward enough so that she fell off of the bench and sprawled to the ground. "I'm a paper geek," she sighed. "And I'm going to a dance with Sesshomaru Reaper."

"Oh how the proud hath fallen," Sango smirked.

"Suck it up," Kagome said with a smile. "It won't be that bad."

"Yes it will!" Kagura insisted. "Neither of us have any idea what to do at a dance. I still don't have a dress. I can't even _dance_! This has 'disaster' written all over it!"

"I'll just have to help you, then," Kagome said easily. "Sesshomaru called earlier and left me a message. He probably wanted me to set up a "leisure" date."

"A what?" both Kagura and Sango asked, looking at her strangely.

"A "leisure" date," Kagome repeated. "Where you and he can work out the kinks of your plan. Just the basic coordination of things, and so you two can become slightly more comfortable in one another's presence. That way, I can help you."

"You'd do that?" Kagura asked, not really sure.

"Oh course," Kagome said easily. "Just as long as I don't have to miss work."

Sango smiled and began playing a new song on her violin. Maybe this plan might work after all. That's when she heard a car door slam out from and looked through the gap in between Kagome's house and her own. She caught sight of a silver car. Hojo had arrived. That made her frown.

Kagome caught sight as well. "There's my cue. Bye girls!" She stuffed her material back in the back and hopped from her seat on the fence. Hojo came around the side of the house, following the music.

"Hi, Hojo!" Kagome greeted. He greeted her with his customary assault on her mouth.

"Hey, babe," he said after. "Ready to go?"

"Let me just toss this inside and grab my backpack."

"Sure thing." Kagome scampered off, leaving Hojo standing in the side lawn with Kagura and Sango staring at him. "Hey," he said slightly awkwardly.

"Hey," Kagura said. Sango was silent, her knuckles turning white around her bow. Oh how she hated that boy. It wasn't a jealousy reaction, like he was taking Kagome away from her or something, it was just some kind of instinct that told her something was wrong with this one. He acted too innocent, played Kagome too well without knowing her at all.

"Ok," Kagome said, coming around the corner with a backpack slung over her shoulder. "Just remember that I have to get to the store by six."

Hojo sighed, annoyed. "Why do you always have to work?"

"Because I have a job," she said easily. "Why do you always get so annoyed that I work?"

"Because you shouldn't be spending so much time behind a desk. You should be spending more time doing things that normal girls do." It went unsaid that he really wanted her to spend more time with him. That was the real reason. Mostly, it was a sexual thing. They'd been going out for four years and had yet to consummate the relationship, a fact that annoyed Hojo to no end and Kagome knew it.

"That just proves that I'm not a normal girl," Kagome said with her usual amount of sass. Then she turned to Sango and Kagura. "I'll talk to you two later. And Sango, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Call Sesshomaru for me? This real jerk picked up the phone so I had to tell him off, and I think calling back might jeopardize my position as Rin's carpool driver."

"Heaven forbid you yelling at a dimwit would make Sesshomaru forbid you from driving his sister to Karate with your brothers," Kagura said while rolling her eyes.

"You never know," Kagome said with a shrug and a smile. "You know how much Kohaku likes Rin though. I wouldn't want to do anything to disrupt puppy love."

"Can we go now?" Hojo asked, growing impatient.

"Yes," Kagome said, grabbing his arm and steering him toward his car. "Bye, girls."

"Bye!" they called back in unison, before Sango erupted into laughter.

"What's the matter with you?" Kagura asked with a raised brow.

"She talked to Grimm, I just know it!" Sango cackled. "He's the only one in that house who would work Kagome up enough to force such language as jerk."

Kagura only shook her head slightly. "It's a good thing they've never met then. They might end up killing each other."

"But Kagura!" Sango protested. "That's the entire point!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, ending Author's note. I kept forgetting to address a question I got in a review—I think it was for the first chapter actually… Ahh!

Drake220: I actually know a limited amount of mechanics. My brother has taken auto shop and I ask routine questions. The rest comes from research done on the internet.

That's all. Anyway, please review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one will be out after I update Curse of the Gypsy!


	6. Dance of Love

A/N: I know I promised Curse of the Gypsy before this, but I was struck by random inspiration and I had to get it done! So, too bad! I'll get Gypsy out as soon as I can. (If I feel up to it, maybe this weekend!) I've been sick; my allergies are bothering me. sigh Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but now that I'm getting paid regularly, I'll have enough money to buy him in about 247 and one half years!

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 6

* * *

Kagura and the Frog Prince were brought together,

But all was not happily ever after at once,

No, first the two conspiring maidens,

Would once again turn to the fairy and the frog…

* * *

The room was dark, except for a single lamp on in the center of the room, casting dim illumination on a lone figure as she scratched a pen over a legal pad that had seen better days.

Darkness engulfs me,

My heart is being raped,

The light has left me bereft,

I am alone in a sea,

A sea of blood and turmoil,

A sea of floating bodies,

Bloated on the water of their lies,

Decayed from the sun of their deception,

I float with them,

But I am still alive.

"Ah!" Kagura grunted, grabbing the paper, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it behind her head to land with the six or seven other paper balls littering the floor by the trashcan. She had been sitting there for nearly three hours, trying to write a new poem, but failing miserably. She couldn't find her muse, no matter how hard she tried.

In truth, she hadn't been able to write anything for weeks, despite Sango's efforts to help her. Kagura was just infected by the artist's worst nightmare. Writer's block.

Oh, inspiration was a cruel mistress.

Aggravated and tired, Kagura decided to take a break, and left her pad on the chair.

It was Friday afternoon, two weeks until Homecoming. Kagura had a date, all her homework was done, and her parents were working late… again. She should have been the happiest eighteen-year-old within a five mile radius, but she wasn't. She was annoyed and depressed. Sure, she was that much closer to landing the man she had loved for years. Naturally, she had two whole nights full of debauchery and chaos for the taking.

But Kagura was the classic teenager, full of unjustified angst.

Deep down, in a place she would never admit existed, Kagura was just lonely. She wanted a little human contact, so she went in search of some. As per usual, it came in the form of Kagome and Sango, whom were both sitting on the picnic table in the backyard.

Kagome's brothers were all at an extra karate practice, and since she didn't have to work on Fridays, she was spending her time in the company of her best friend. She had a sewing hoop in her hand, working on an embroidered design. It was a red dragon, moving across a length of black satin. A new outfit perhaps? Kagura didn't know.

Sango sat next to her, guitar perched on her lap and her violin case beside her. For once, the girl was devoid of grease stains, despite the fact that she had stayed after school for an hour working on an 'extra' project with two of her shop friends. Although it was a warm afternoon, Sango was still wearing her leather jacket. Kagura remembered her saying once that it had belonged to her father, and that was why it was her favorite.

As Kagura left the kitchen and walked toward them, Sango started singing a song as she strummed out a tune on her guitar.

_I'm not afraid of anything, I just need to know if I can breath. I don't need much of anything, but suddenly, suddenly._

I am small and the world is big, all around me is fast moving. Surrounded by so many things, but suddenly, suddenly.

Kagome, eyes still on her embroidery and fingers moving at the speed of light, harmonized with her as back-up during the chorus. Sango was a better singer, a fact they both knew well, but Kagome had a sweet voice. It was a soft pitch far better suited for ballets than Sango's usual punk/rock tunes. Still, their voices blended well and the song was nice.

How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?

I am young and I am free, but I get tired and I get weak. I get lost and I can't sleep, but suddenly, suddenly.

How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?

Would you come towards me? Would you cry with me?

They sang a stanza of echoing chords together, their voices rising and twining together. When they came back down, Sango continued one alone.

I am small and the world is big, but I'm not afraid of anything.

Kagome joined her again as they neared the end of the song.

How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?

How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel, to be different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel?

How does it feel? How does it feel? You're different from me, different!

The rest of the song was the echoing chords until the song died away. When they finished, Kagura applauded their musical talent and hopped up to sit on the wood fence separating her yard from Kagome's.

"Very nice, ladies," she commented. "You two should do the whole band thing."

Kagome laughed. "I'm not a musician," she declared. "I just provide occasional back-up, and piano. Plus, I have no time for the proverbial high school band."

Sango snorted. "I don't want to do the band thing. I'm happy doing my own _Sango_ thing."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "You know, the 'rebel' thing gets old too."

"Not to me," Sango said with a wicked smile.

Kagura shook her head. "You know, sometimes I worry about you."

"You shouldn't though," Kagome interrupted. "She's a very capable psycho."

Sango smiled… until she realized that was meant as an insult where she promptly elbowed Kagome in the side. The latter girl only laughed, her sewing safe from harm. "Sit with us, Kagura," Kagome offered, shuffling over to allow the other girl a space to sit on the table.

"Thanks," she said with a smile, hopping up beside them. "So what are we up to?"

"Working," both girls replied without looking up from their activities.

"I'm working on a new song," Sango said, strumming a few chords.

"I've got a new dress design that I'm working on," Kagome explained, looking down at the blood red stitching in her lap. "The embroidery is going to take me forever if I want to finish it by deadline."

"When's deadline?" Sango asked, looking from her guitar to Kagome.

"Two weeks," Kagome sighed, needle moving gracefully again. "I was supposed to do something simple now that I finished my Homecoming dress, but this idea just hit me like a ton of bricks and I _had_ to do it."

"The dragon is coming along nice," Kagura admired, running a finger over the intricate design. It was about halfway done on the fabric. "I can't wait to see it."

"You mean you like it?" Kagome teased, a gleam in her blue eyes.

Kagura gave her a lopsided smirk. "I'll let you know when I see the finished product."

"Ah, you doubt my skill!" Kagome held a hand to her heart in mock outrage. "And here I thought you respected my range as a designer."

"I like your range as an artist," Kagura assured her, patting her on the shoulder.

Kagome's smile faltered a little, and she looked back down. "Thanks." Then, striving for upbeat, she said, "Kagura, do you have plans tomorrow night?"

"No, why?" Kagura narrowed her ruby eyes, waiting expectantly.

"I talked to Sesshomaru this morning, before school. Your first leisure date is tomorrow night, at The Serpentine."

The Serpentine was the only dance club in the area that allowed admittance to people sixteen and older every night of the week. It was a hot date spot, and a hangout rivaled only by the local mall. Kagome and Sango, who were both friends of the DJ, frequented the club at least twice a month—when Kagome had off work. It was a place both public and comfortable, the perfect place for a casual meeting to discuss what needed to be addressed.

Kagura just stared at her with a poker face. "You seriously expect me to go to The Serpentine?"

"Why not?" Sango asked defensively. "It's a cool place."

"True, but going to a popular hang out would be making me subject to conformity."

Kagome shrugged. "Sesshomaru is going, and you know how he feels about conformity." That didn't help the situation much, so she once more set down her sewing to look Kagura in the eye. "If it makes you feel better, Sango and a few other people could go with you."

"What about you?" Kagura asked, frowning.

"I have to work," Kagome reminded.

The other girl smirked. "If you don't go, I don't go. End of story."

"Aw, come on, Kagura!" Sango intervened. "You know Kag's got work and all."

"I'll stay firm on my condition."

"Fine," Kagome said casually. "I'll see if I can get Ayame to cover for me." And it was settled—or at least it was for the moment, since the trio was disturbed by the sudden and somewhat unwelcome interruption of Yura and Kanna.

They were dressed similarly today, all short skirts and tall boots. Sango rolled her eyes as they sauntered into the backyard with all the tact of a cow in McDonald's. Kanna was first, Yura right after, and both their attentions were focused on their sister.

"Kagura, we've been looking all over for you!" Kanna declared. She reached into her Parade bag—and no, it wasn't a knock-off—and pulled out a catalog. "Yura and I were skimming through this, and we found some things that we thought would be _perfect_ for you."

"We even color-coded it," Yura added with a nod and a smile. "Styles that match your tastes are black listed. Styles that match your bone structure are white coded. Stuff that's in style are in blue—"

"I get what you mean," Kagura said, her hands in the air to ward off any more talk of color-coding. "What I don't get is why I would care."

Kanna glared at her, hands on her hips. "As the eldest of the Hart sisters, you have to get involved in our statement!"

"Which statement is that?" Sango commented as she plucked a few strings. "The one where you drool over high cheek-boned celebrities? Or where you buy thousand dollar clothes to make people jealous of you?"

"Shut your mouth, St. John," Yura spat. The way she said Sango's last name was as if it was a curse word. "No one asked your opinion. Why don't you stick your head in a car again?"

"At least I have a skill," Sango shot back. "And, I'm sorry to say, spending money and celebrity stalking are not career choices in the long run."

Yura raised her fist, ready to go at Sango, had Kanna not intervened. "Enough out of you, Sango. We're trying to salvage at least one person in this family."

"Then I thank my lucky stars that I am not worth saving." With that, Sango grabbed her violin case and her guitar, and left the backyard for her room.

Kagome grabbed up her sewing and made to follow. "I'll talk to you later, Kagura," she said as she walked off. Kagura watched them go and frowned. For some reason, one she couldn't name, she felt more comfortable around those two than around her own sisters.

With a sigh, she turned back to them. "How many times have we gone over this?" she asked. "I'm not changing how I act or dress just to improve your social standing, so get used to it." The twins clicked their tongues and rolled their eyes in unison, something that had recently begun to weird Kagura out.

"You're so predictable, Kagura," Yura commented.

That irked her, but Kagura refused to let it show. "Not all the time," she said flippantly.

Kanna snorted. "Oh yeah? Shock us!"

"We dare you!" Yura threw in.

"Okay," Kagura said, smirking already. "Are you two going to Homecoming?"

"Duh!" they intoned together. "We've had dates for weeks, considering it's in two weeks."

"Well, maybe I'll see you there," Kagura said, hopping to her feet and heading toward the house.

"What do you mean?" Yura asked.

"You have a _date_?!" Kanna shrilled, her jaw falling open.

"So what if I do?"

"WITH WHO!?" they both shrieked, lunging at her. Kagura dodged their attempts to tackle her for information.

She only laughed as she ran inside. "Sesshomaru Reaper."

"You're going out with one of the Reaper brothers?"

"And you didn't tell us?"

"Who says I'm "going out" with him?" Kagura said defensively. "It's only a dance."

The sisters shook their heads. "Only you would go to a dance with a rich, handsome guy and not think about seeing him again."

That made Kagura's mood darken again. "And only the pair of you would date a man because of his wallet and his face, without knowing a single thing about who he is." That said, she stomped back to her room without a backward glance.

------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

"We have to get a horror movie!" Kohaku yelled, running through the chiming video store doors and making a beeline for the horror section.

"No way!" Souta cried, on his heels. "We need a good action flick!"

"I want a comedy!" Shippou exclaimed, chasing after his brothers.

"I wanted to get a romance," Kagome huffed dramatically. "You never let me get what I want!"

"Come on, Kagome," the boys yelled back at her. "We don't wanna watch a mushy girl movie."

Kagome sighed and walked toward the counter. "Ah me," she laughed. "Stuck in a house full of men."

"It could be worse," Ayame commented, leaning over the top of the wooden counter. "You could be like me, no men within a fifty mile radius!"

"I'm sure that's not true," Kagome said cheerily, walking over to converse with her friend while her brothers fought over who got to pick the movie this week. "You're an attractive female."

Ayame rolled her pretty green eyes toward the heavens. "Tell that to my last four boyfriends," she responded glumly. "All of them say I'm too aggressive, or too opinionated, or not docile enough." She huffed lightly, the way she always did when a boyfriend broke up with her—which was often. "I'm not the sit around for my man kinda girl. I'm out there. I'm loud! I'm aggressive and competitive. Why can't I find a nice guy who'll put up with me?!"

Kagome patted her friend on the shoulder. Granted, she knew that Ayame wasn't all that upset. She had never particularly adored this latest boyfriend, it was just the fact that he had broken up with her for the same reason that all of her boyfriends seemed to do the same. A girl could only take so much before deciding to join a convent.

"It'll be okay, Ayame," Kagome consoled her. "You'll find a new guy and be up on that horse again in no time."

Ayame shook her head, flipping some of her thick red hair over one shoulder. "You don't get it, Kagome, I don't want to do this again. I'm tired of all these guys who won't stick around because I'm not the cheerleader type."

Kagome nodded, frowning. "Man, I've picked a bad time to ask you for a favor."

Ayame looked at her with a half-smile. "Actually, this is a good time. I need something to keep me busy. What's up?"

"I was gonna ask you to take my shift tomorrow night. I have to get a very reluctant friend to The Serpentine."

"Isn't clubbing grounds for a sick day?" the cashier joked.

"Sadly, no," Kagome sighed with a sheepish grin. "Think you can cover for me?"

"I dunno," Ayame said with a pensive expression. "I might have to reorganize my sock drawer."

"I'll set you up with one of my friends at school!" Kagome offered, using Ayame's weakness against her. Ayame went to an all-girls school, so habitual dating was her addiction, at least until she found a nice guy she could be with.

Ayame's eye twitched, a tick that arose when she was trying to resist something she really wanted. "Why do you do this to me, Kagome?"

"Come on!" Kagome prodded. "He's really nice and really cute, if a bit overzealous at time. You'll really like him, I promise. Please cover for me?" With an addition of the "puppy face", Ayame caved.

"Fine, I'll work tomorrow night, but he better be everything you say!"

"He is, he is, I promise!"

"When do I get to meet him?"

"How about Halloween? Everything is out of control with Homecoming right now, so after would be better."

Ayame waved her hand in the hair as the three little boys came charging to the register, DVD in hand. "Okay, tell me the details later."

Kagome grinned as she left with her brothers. "Thanks again, Ayame."

"Hey, Kagome! What's his name?"

Kagome smiled a little as she turned back. "Kouga."

----------------------------------------------------

* * *

The Serpentine was buzzing, seeing as how it was Saturday night. Kagome, Sango, and Kagura entered together, dressed to kill and ready for anything. Okay, maybe only Kagura was ready for anything. Sango was ready only to party and Kagome was ready to play peacekeeper.

Walking in, a wave of techno music washed over them. Strobe lights washed over a dancing crowd, all there to have a good time. The DJ at his turntables, looked up to see who walked in, and waved over at Kagome and Sango. The pair waved back, then waded through the crowd, toward the bar where they had arranged to meet Sesshomaru.

When they found Sesshomaru sitting at the bar with a bottle of water, looking both bored and out of place. His mood didn't improve very much when the three girls came to his side, and they found the music was too loud to really talk.

"Come on!" Sango shouted. "Let's find a table in the back and get this set up so I can hit the dance floor!"

The Serpentine was a relatively large place that had only four rooms. The club itself was one large chamber, accompanied by two bathrooms and an employee/stock room. Most of the room was sparsely lit, mostly by black lights, except for the dance floor, which was covered with multicolored strobe lights.

The bar, on the far left side of the room, was stocked with non- and alcoholic drinks, depending upon the id that was shown and the kindness of the bartender that night. The DJ, a man named Diego, was set up against the back wall where he reigned over the lights and the music. Diego also served as a part-time music instructor, and was, at one time, Sango's guitar coach.

All in all, the club was a happening and relatively normal teenage paradise. This was why neither Kagura nor Sesshomaru felt comfortable there.

In the back, near the bar, there were small tables set away from the speakers, where people could sit and talk. This was where the four of them went, finding a vacant table in the back and sitting down.

"So…?" Sango said, looking undaunted even as she moved her head along with the music. "I don't hear much of a conversation getting started."

"And just what, exactly, would you like to hear?" Sesshomaru commented, taking a drink of his water. He was not the kind of person who liked blinding lights that caused epileptic shock, or pounding music that was sure to give him a hangover-sized migraine by the time he got home, but this was the place Kagome picked to host the 'leisure date' as she called it, so he had to go along with it.

"A little progress," Sango replied. "Or at least someone saying "go dance, Sango", where as I would take my leave of this table."

"Go dance, Sango," Kagura said with a smirk. "Thanks for sticking around this long."

"What's a stepsister for?" Sango countered before hopping from her seat and heading back toward the others on the dance floor.

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked back at the other two. "Ok, let's get down to business."

"Business? And here I thought this was a social occasion," Kagura joked.

"Ha ha," Kagome responded sarcastically. "I thought you wanted my help."

"Well, you are the authority on High School," Sesshomaru commented.

"Not really," Kagome laughed. "I'm just a quarterback's girlfriend."

"That in itself screams High School," Kagura assured her. "So tell us why it was important for us to come here?"

"Easy," Kagome smiled. "It's important for the two of you to become comfortable in each other's presence."

"But we see each other every day," Kagura objected. "I'd say that makes us pretty comfortable."

"No," Kagome insisted. "You guys talk newspaper and nothing else. Tonight is an experiment where the pair of you can interact, outside of school, and _not_ talk about newspaper things. Have a normal conversation, get used to being around one another. I'm not saying get out on to the dance floor or anything, but this is a Homecoming-esque environment. There will be a lot of loud people and a lot of loud music, so you should get used to that too."

"I take it this means you'll be leaving us?" Sesshomaru asked.

"You got it!" Kagome said with a wink. "I'll be back in about an hour and see if we've made any progress. Later!" With that, she headed off into the dancing ocean of bodies in search of Sango.

"One would think they merely used this as an excuse to ditch us and go clubbing," Kagura intoned, propping her chin on her fist.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Sesshomaru agreed.

The music switched to a new dance techno song, causing the dancers to change their pace of movement. Among the throng were two guys. The taller one, dressed colorfully, gyrated around his partner along with the music in a series of graceful, fast-paced movements. The smaller one, dressed all in black, moved at an unhurried pace that matched the slower underlying beat of the song. Together, they drew a lot of eyes.

"Now there's something you don't see every day," Kagura commented, watching them.

"How so?" Sesshomaru asked, watching them as well.

"I don't often see two men dance together… at least not like that anyway."

Sesshomaru frowned a little. "Those are my friends."

"Really?" Kagura whipped her head around to look at him.

"Jakotsu and Bankotsu," he nodded. "They dragged me here to begin with."

She gave him a half-hearted grin. "They still dance weird."

"Finally, we can agree on something," he responded. She smiled genuinely and the conversation flowed more easily after that.

The song changed again, moving into a deceptively slow pop song beat that many of the veteran dancers had to bow out on. Jakotsu and Bankotsu moved to the middle of the floor together, ready to dominate the dance floor when they saw that they competition in the form of Kagome and Sango.

Diego, knowing the pair all too well, began one of their favorite dance songs. Both girls smiled and waved to the two guys as they began a series of movements that they had practiced too many times when they had nothing better to do. Perfectly synchronized, Kagome moved to the left and Sango moved to the right. They matched, move for move, perfectly with the song. As much as the two guys hated to admit it, they knew they were outdone.

When the song ended, and the two girls were finished with their dance, they came over to the competition. "Come one, we'll buy you guys a drink," Kagome offered.

"Hate to break it to you," Bankotsu said as he followed. "But I'm taken."

"Ha ha," Sango smiled. "You guys are really good. I take it you come here a lot?"

"Most weekends," he replied. "There aren't many places where we're welcomed out on a date."

"The Serpentine welcomes one and all," Kagome quoted. "As long as you pay the fine and dance the night away."

Jakotsu snorted. "What about you two, here on a date?"

"Oh, totally," Sango replied. "Despite the fact that Kagome has a boyfriend, I've made her into my bitch."

Kagome looked over her shoulder at her friend dryly. "I thought we agreed you'd stop calling me that."

Sango laughed. "Water's on me. I need the aqua."

Four waters were purchased and the four dancers took their respective seats at the bar, conversing generally. "Did you guys have to force Kagura to come here?" Bankotsu asked.

"Pretty much," Sango admitted.

"I was forced to get off work," Kagome laughed. "She said that if I didn't come, she wouldn't come. Kagura didn't think I'd actually take a day off."

"Well that certainly came back to bite her in the ass," Jakotsu said, taking a few gulps of water. "We practically had to drag Sesshomaru here. He kept making all these lame excuses about watching Rin or doing work for the paper or his parents wanted him to do something."

"How'd you get him to come?" Kagome asked.

"We promised to take my car," Bankotsu laughed. "Though we lied, of course."

"Of course!" Kagome and Sango both laughed, toasting their waters.

After a while, they hit the dance floor again for another few songs. Kagome and Sango had to break first and the pair headed back to the bar for another round of liquid refreshment. Kagome bought their drinks this time, but as she handed Sango her bottle of Poland Springs, she froze.

"Kag, what's wrong?" Sango asked, following her eyes.

At the end of the bar, sitting in the very last stool with a random girl draped over his lap, was Naraku. He was openly necking with a nameless female that both Kagome and Sango were positive didn't go to their school. There was no doubt that it was him, but as for his newest partner, neither had a clue.

"That bastard!" Sango growled, fully prepared to march over there and knock him upside the head with a large implement. But Kagome stopped her.

"He's not our concern right now," she said tightly. "We just have to make sure that Kagura doesn't see him, or our entire plan might be in jeopardy."

"Right," Sango said evenly, attempting to calm herself. As they subtly watched for a few more minutes, Naraku and his partner got up from the bar and left the club together. "Suddenly, I don't feel like dancing anymore," she intoned.

"Neither do I," Kagome agreed.

"Let's grab Kagura and go." Kagome nodded, so they made their way back toward the tables.

They were very surprised to see Kagura in animated conversation with an attentive Sesshomaru. The subject was Pulitzer prize winning articles, the pros and cons in the last ten years.

"I think they're speaking Greek," Sango said. Kagome shook her head and stepped forward.

"Kagura, we have to go," she said.

Kagura, much to their surprise, looked disappointed. "Really? Fine then." She turned back to Sesshomaru with a smile. "I'll see you later. Goodnight."

"Good evening, you three," he replied. Then the girls took their leave of the club.

Sango and Kagome never did tell Kagura why they wanted to leave, no matter how hard she asked.

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A/N: Ok, here is chapter six. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to get seven out as early as I can! Remember to review!


	7. The Pitfalls of Affection

**A/N:** Okay, first thing to address**: I DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ABANDON MY STORIES.** I know a lot of you are worried about Curse of the Gypsy, but I am putting fears to rest by saying that I have every intention of continuing with it. I just want to finish up Unexpected (because that's where my inspiration is) and then I will concentrate on finishing that up. With my hectic life hitting an even more hectic peak, I have practically no time to write. I am very sorry, but that's the way it is. I'll get to everything, I promise, but it will take me a while. I'm letting you know that right now.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to a few people:

Carmen (my brother's girlfriend), I hope you feel better sweetie!

MoonlightShadow4 (my co-conspirator (READ HER FICS!))I hope this chapter is everything you waited for.

Cattykit (my wonderful beta reader (READ HER FICS!)), sorry for not running you ragged lately.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own the wonderful idiot known as Inuyasha or any of said characters, but I like to dream about it. If I wish upon a star enough times...maybe...some day?

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 7

* * *

Sometimes attraction needs a little bit of help,

Because unforeseen forces tend to appear,

And when circumstance threatens a happily ever after,

It's up to a little magic to keep it at bay...

* * *

The Hart house was in a flurry on Tuesday morning.

Someone had accidentally-on-purpose turned off the alarm clock in Yura and Kanna's room, making the twins horribly late in their morning ritual. They fought bitterly over who got to shower first, seeing as how there was only long enough for one of them to actually take one. The loser of the squabble...Yura...was forced to wash her hair in the kitchen sink.

Kagura, who never had a problem with her alarm clock, casually drank her morning coffee in the kitchen, looking over the morning paper as Yura ducked her head repeatedly in the sink, sputtering curses under her breath.

Sango, fresh as spring rain, walked down the stairs with a smile. There was no doubt in Kagura's mind that Sango had snuck into the twins' room and turned off their clock so that she would get first dibs on the shower. Sango also had no doubt that Kagura knew?and would say nothing. It was just something that happened every so often. Often enough to call it a habit, but not so often that everyone would get wise to Sango's method.

Said teenager sauntered past Yura and toward the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup and drinking it black as she rummaged through the cabinets for a granola bar.

Kagura sipped her coffee and, not even bothering to look over the top of her paper, said, "Not even bothering to hide it, eh?"

With a quick look to Yura, who was wrapping her hair in a towel and storming out of the kitchen, responded in the like. "Why should I? This is a two-birds-with-one-stone deal! I get the shower, and they don't bum a ride with us."

Kagura snorted, almost spilling her coffee. "You are evil sometimes."

"Only to evil people," she responded, grabbing her quarry and opening up the wrapper.

There was a second lapse of relative silence, apart from the scuffling of feet on the second floor, where the two step-siblings enjoyed a morning ritual. Then the doorbell rang. "It's open!" Sango yelled, knowing it was Kagome. "I swear," she said to Kagura, pulling out a chair at the table and plopping down. "She's been in this house for what? Thirteen years? And she still rings the doorbell?"

"That's Kagome," Kagura said with a smile hidden behind the sports section. "Her mother raised her polite."

"Good morning!" Kagome said cheerily as she entered the kitchen. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder and she carried a small sewing basket in the other. The contents were her latest project; no one needed to ask.

"Christ, Kag!" Sango said with a frown. "Did you sleep last night?"

"Not really," she responded sheepishly, hiding a yawn with the back of her hand. The dark circles under her eyes were darker than usual, and her blue eyes lacked their brightness. Her smile, however, was the same as ever. "I worked overtime last night, to make up for the shift switch with Ayame. Then I was working on my new design, and Hojo called, so I was up till three or something. No big deal."

"Night is the time to sleep," Sango lectured, looking more peeved then usual at this time of the morning. "You'd think your boyfriend has enough brain cells left to realize that he's going to get you sick!"

"San," Kagome sighed. "Can we go?"

"Have you eaten?" Kagura asked, folding up her paper and getting up. Kagome shook her head. "Sango, get her a granola bar, or I refuse to drive either one of you."

Sango grumbled, but did as she was told. Kagome hung her head slightly as she nibbled. "Thank you."

"Now we can go," Kagura said, tucking the paper under one arm and pulling her army jacket on as she marched out the door. The two other girls followed after her, Sango giving Kagome her patented "look" and Kagome trying her best to not notice that she was being "looked" at.

"Such a lovely morning," Kagome commented, changing the subjects with that ability that only she seemed to possess. It was impossible to stay angry with Kagome for very long. All she had to do was flash a smile your way and you'd forgive her in spite of yourself.

Sango hated that about her, and loved it at the same time. That was just the way of a best friend.

The three piled into Kagura's car and they were off for school. It was another fun day of trials, tribulation, and public humiliation that shapes every teenager into the person they will become in the future. A place called Hell. A place called Heaven. In other words, it was your average High School.

Once the automobile was parked, the three exited and began their respective day as they always did. Kagura headed toward her locker, bidding the pair a good day, and they arranged to meet later for a ride home. Kagome and Sango opted to wander around a bit instead of heading straight to their homerooms.

"I think we should go hang out in the cafeteria," Sango suggested. "I feel like a celebratory bagel with cream cheese!"

"I wanted to head over to the sewing room," Kagome guiltily replied. "I ran out of red thread last night and I need to grab some more if I want to get this dress finished."

"Kagome! Hey, Kagome!"

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, they were interrupted when three girls came racing up to them in the hallway. All three were dressed in school jerseys and blue jeans. One had straight dark hair, and wore a headband. One had wavy hair to her shoulders. And the third had her hair held back in a small ponytail. Yuka, Ayumi, and Eri were their names, and they were the joint captains of the high school's cheerleading squad. They had also been friends of Kagome since she was on the freshman team.

"Hi. Ayumi, Yuka, Eri," Kagome said to them each in turn, a polite smile on her face.

Sango groaned. "What do they want?" she hissed into Kagome's ear.

"Hush," Kagome whispered back between her teeth. "What can I do for you, girls?"

"We wanted to talk to you," Ayumi said politely.

"Alone," Yuka added, looking at Sango in a way that she probably thought was stealth.

Sango frowned, narrowing eyes that were shifting from their soft lavender to a dark gray. "It's a free country, I can stay if I want!" she snapped. It was a well-known fact that Sango hated cheerleaders, and it was an even more well-known fact that they hated her right back. It was some kind of unwritten rule.

"This is important," Eri said in a commanding voice, as if she could intimidate Sango into leaving. "This is just between us and Kagome."

Oh, how wrong she was!

Sango repressed the growl in her throat and opted for a calm, composed demeanor. One breath, then another, then a wicked smile that started on the left corner of her mouth and spread. Kagome gulped, knowing that look well. Sango was at her most deadly when she smiled. "You might not want to talk so much, Eri, the helium might leak out of your head."

All three cheerleaders scowled in the same moment. "It's people like you that destroy high school," Yuka said with distaste.

"Oh yes," Sango said with a nod. "I know how individuality, independence, and free thinking would corrupt the nation's youth."

"You think you're so bad-ass, Sango," Ayumi said softly. She was the most reasonable of the three. "But you're really not. After graduation, no one will even remember who you are."

Sango opened her mouth to retort when Kagome stepped in. "Well, that was a lovely banter, but I think it's best we end this because we do have class in a few minutes." She hooked one arm around Ayumi and one around Eri. "I'll be back in a second, Sango!"

Sango shook her head and turned in a huff. "Don't bother," she fumed. "I'll see you later."

Kagome felt torn. Sango really did mean well, and she was riddled with guilt for doing this, but it was for the best to keep her best friend away from the cheerleaders who could do nothing but make her life even harder. Not that Sango would ever complain. "Ok girls, you have my attention," she said to the three cheerleaders. One blue eye was twitching in annoyance.

"We wanted to talk to you about Hojo," Yuka said with a firm tone.

"What about Hojo?" Kagome asked. Was it wrong that her mind didn't leap to any dangerous conclusions?

"His head isn't in the game anymore," Eri complained. "He's totally stressed out and he always so down. Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of," Kagome said with a confused frown. "I have been working a lot lately, but I'm trying to save up some money for Christmas."

Ayumi shook her head a little and frowned. "Kagome, you can't blow him off like that, not if you don't want to lose him."

Kagome was beginning to get angry now. "There are some things more important than dating," she said with a frown of her own. "I can't just drop everything whenever he wants me to."

"But Hojo's the star quarterback!" Yuka said exasperatedly. "We need his head in the game."

"Well you'll have to get it out of his pants first," Kagome replied scathingly. "Listen girls, I appreciate this, but my relationship with my boyfriend is none of your business. Have a nice day." With that, Kagome turned on her heel and went to homeroom, leaving three annoyed cheerleaders to brood.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SLAM!

Sango stared daggers at her locker in the auto shop. She had changed into her overalls and the bell had rung, signaling it was time to start working, but she was still too pissed to concentrate.

There had to be something seriously wrong if Sango was too stressed to work on a car.

That was why Miroku and Inuyasha approached her cautiously. Any sudden movement might anger her further. Or worse, direct her anger at them. Now, Inuyasha and Miroku were two young men who were not easily frightened. They had stared down the law, faced many a tough bully, and always come out on top. But Sango St. John was _scary_ when she was angry. So not even the bravest of men would approach her in such a state without a bit of hesitancy.

"Uh? hey!? Sango," Miroku began, pausing in between words to gather his bravery.

She only grunted in response, then turned toward a vacant table and began working feverishly on a broken carburetor. She went on like that for nearly twenty minutes before slamming the wrench down on the counter, followed by her forehead.

"Gonna tell us what's wrong now?" Inuyasha asked. His eyes were still on the fuel pipe he was installing, but he saw her in his peripheral vision.

"Will you guys forget me after graduation?" Her voice was muffled from under her arms.

Miroku scoffed. "How could anyone forget you, Sango?" He walked over to her table and patted her shoulder.

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed. "You make the day interesting."

A yelp filled the room as Miroku was suddenly hurled over the table. No one looked up from their work. It was a daily thing, especially when he took advantage of a situation to cop a feel. Sango stood over him, cracking her knuckles, looking even more angry. "I hate men!" she declared and stomped back to her carburetor.

"Any particular reason why you feel you'll be forgotten?" Inuyasha asked, not even bothering to help his friend to his feet.

"Some stupid airhead cheerleaders were harping on me." She tightened a bolt with a little more effort than was required. "And Kagome sided with them."

"Then she's an idiot," Miroku interjected, regaining consciousness. "How could anyone choose a cheerleader over you? I mean, look at them! In their short skirts and tight tops and big pompoms and...short skirts..."

"Surprisingly, that's not making me feel any better..." Sango drawled, throwing her protective eyewear at the back of his head.

"He's right though," Inuyasha agreed. "She's your best friend, and she should take your side over anyone else."

Sango sighed, pulling herself up so she sat on the table. "Well, it's not all her fault. They wanted to talk to her, and I started a fight with them, and Kagome hates it when I do that. She wants to protect everyone, and she's only stretching herself thinner to do it."

"So you're really more upset with Kagome than with the cheerleaders," Miroku deduced.

Sango nodded, then sighed in frustration. "If she's not working late, then she's babysitting, or doing what Hojo wants, or helping me or something? she's going to kill herself. It's so frustrating!"

"You should talk to her then," he encouraged.

She only shook her head. "I have to wait in line. She's working tonight."

"Well then, you'll just have to hang out with us tonight," Miroku suggested with a smile.

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed. "We'll show you a good time."

Sango smiled. "I'm sure you will."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'm probably going to regret it, but..."

"But?"

"Ok, you guys can kidnap me."

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Kagura sat in front of a blank computer screen. She had been staring at it for nearly half an hour, but she still hadn't come up with an idea for her new article. It was stuck somewhere in her because she could feel it, but it just couldn't come to the surface. Like a splinter under the skin.

She sighed heavily and pushed back in her chair, getting up to stretch her back. Almost automatically, her eyes flew to where Naraku was sitting. He was leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on the table, hands behind his head. The printer was shrilling as his article was excreted. Kagura was almost jealous. Here he was, a guy who came to sessions only once a week and barely did any work, and his article was already done, where as she, who came every day, was still waiting to begin the first paragraph.

"Any luck?" a voice asked from behind her. Kagura hiccupped, spinning around to see Sesshomaru standing behind her. He looked up from the file he was reading in time to see her blush and scowl.

"Don't do that!" she hissed. "I could have had a heart attack."

He arched one eyebrow, then went back to reading the file. "So, have you any 'heart-stopping' reports for me?"

Kagura narrowed her eyes are him. "I don't like your tone. If you're implying that I won't have my article by deadline then you are sadly mistaken."

"I imply nothing," he said easily, almost as if he were bored. Kagura bristled. "I simply had hoped that your article would have been started. That way I could read something legible before I begin articulating the sports column."

"I bet you won't have to do much to it," Kagura heard herself say. When he looked up from his reading and fixed gold eyes on her face, Kagura blushed and quickly tried to cover her tracks so Sesshomaru wouldn't suspect anything. "I mean, he wouldn't have gotten the position if he wasn't a good writer."

"I don't doubt his skills," Sesshomaru commented dryly. "I doubt his methods. And I dislike him as a person."

"But you're an editor, you can't let your personal judgment cloud your professional duty," Kagura lectured, one fist on her hip, one finger jabbing him in the shoulder.

Sesshomaru only gave her his usual deadpan look. "Of that I am abundantly aware." He grasped her wrist in his hand so fast that she was hardly aware he had moved at all. Her pulse jumped, and the only thing she thought of was that with his fingers on her wrist, Sesshomaru would undoubtedly be able to tell. But then he released her hand. "Just try to get something started by next week. I need to start evaluations for the first issue."

Kagura watched him walk off, her mind suddenly confused. Her heartbeat was in her ears a little too loudly and her palms were just a little too moist. Naturally, she covered her confusion with sarcasm. "Right away, my liege!"

Sesshomaru didn't respond. He didn't need to. Kagura was actually happy when he didn?t; it gave her a few seconds to collect herself comfortably?and to blame the sudden onslaught of strange feelings on the heat in the room. But then she was faced with an entirely new problem.

Naraku.

He had gotten up from his desk, picked up the article from the printer and deposited in on top of the file Sesshomaru was reading, then sauntered toward the door. On his way, he noticed Kagura and stopped next to her desk.

"Writer's block?" he asked, causing her to jump in her chair.

She spun and her ruby eyes widened. "Y-yeah," she stammered, quite beside herself. "C-can't seem to get anything started."

Naraku grinned, his dark eyes flashing with mischief. "Let me show you a trick." He leaned past her toward the computer, bring himself a little too close to Kagura for comfort, and began drumming his long fingers across the keyboard at lightning speed. Her heartbeat, which had finally become steady, suddenly rocketed once again and her face burned unbearably. He was so close that his hair brushed her neck and she could smell his aftershave. Old spice.

Sesshomaru wore Cool Water.

Kagura blinked out of her scent-induced coma, rather startled. Where had that thought come from? Why did she know that?!

"There," Naraku stated, straightening up.

"Huh?" Kagura said, blinking owlishly.

He smiled down at her, in a kind of knowing way that sparked a bit of annoyance in Kagura. "Your writer's block," he explained. She looked at the screen. Where it had been blank before, there was now a small outline. Title. Author's name. Body. And even the first word of the opening sentence stared back at her. "It helps to have a beginning, to get the flow started," he said with nod.

"Thanks," Kagura said with a small smile.

"No problem, doll," he said with a wink. Then he headed out the door.

Kagura stared at the screen. There were words now, but the blinking cursor still tormented her because her mind was a million miles away from the newspaper. With a sigh, she settled herself in for some after school work. It was going to be a long afternoon.

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"I have to stay after school, today," Kagura said when Kagome reached the car. Sango had gotten there a minute earlier, and had gotten the same line. "I have to work on my article."

"I have to stay, too," Sango piped up. "There's an auto shop project I'm working on."

"Ok," Kagome said with a shrug. "I can get Hojo to drive me home."

"Good," Kagura said with a sigh, sliding off of her seat on the hood of the car. "I'll see you two later." With that, she headed back to the school without a backward glance.

Sango and Kagome were silent for a moment. Kagome scuffed her shoe on the ground, looking down. Sango's arms were crossed and she looked more than a little peeved.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said in a small voice.

"You should have sided with me, you know," Sango commented haughtily. "I'm the best friend."

"I know."

"The three of them are just bubble-headed twits!"

"You're right."

"I mean, how can you stand to talk to them?! I'm surprised you didn't run after me screaming after two seconds in their company."

"I should have."  
There was a momentary pause. "You're pacifying me, aren't you?"

Kagome grinned impishly. "I don't want you to be mad at me."

"_Kagome_," Sango sighed. There was an equal degree annoyance and affection in her voice. "You're so annoyingly nice. It's impossible to be mad at you. Do you know how _annoying_ that is?!"

"Sorry?"

Sango laughed and hugged her friend around the shoulder, walking her back toward the school. "So what did the stuffed-shirts have to say?"

Kagome made her usual "tsking" sound, but didn't correct her. "They wanted me to make sure Hojo has his head in the game, and not have him be unhappy during football season."

Sango made a disgusted sound. "Oh yeah, it should definitely be your job to make sure he's perfectly happy so we can win another trophy."

"I'm his girlfriend," Kagome reminded her. "It _is _my job to make sure he's happy."

"But who's supposed to make _you_ happy?" Sango asked, in all seriousness.

Kagome shrugged. "I'm happy enough."

Sango shook her head, hugging Kagome once more before letting her go. "You settle too much, Kag."

"That's me," she said with a smile, twirling once before skipping off toward where she stopped Hojo in the crowd. "I'm easy to please."

Sango frowned as she watched her go. Kagome was...sad. Not in a crying way, but in a way that made those who loved her sad. She was happy, but it was a fake happy, and if you really knew her, you could see it as plain as day. Not that she'd ever admit it.

"Sango!"

She turned to see Inuyasha and Miroku over by the auto shop doors. Miroku was waving both his arms like an air traffic control operator. Inuyasha was two seconds away from whacking him across the back of the head. Sango grinned; her night was looking wonderful.

"So what are we going to do tonight?" she asked as she joined them.

"It's entirely up to you, my sweet," Miroku said with his most charming smile. Sango laughed and shook her head. He was an idiot, but she couldn't stop herself from liking him a little more than was necessary.

"We're up for anything," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "As long as it doesn't involve us getting sentenced to life without the possibility of parole."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?"

"Ha ha," he laughed sardonically.

Then that devious part of Sango's mind began to turn and she began to form a devilish plot, the kind of plot that put others plots to shame. The kind of plot that only a truly devious mind could concoct on such short notice. The kind of plot that only Sango, with her infinite amount of loveable hijinks could actually pull off.

"I have the perfect plan!" she said with a laugh.

"Oh?" both boys asked in unison, perking up.

"Come with me!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagura stared at the computer again, still annoyed, still with writer's block.

"Why does God hate me?" she grumbled.

"I often ponder the same."

For the third time that day, Kagura jumped. Only this time she shrieked because her chair had rolled back and, thrown off balance, she fell to the floor in a very undignified way. Oh, whoever had done that was going to pay, and pay dearly! But there was no time for angry vendettas because a hand grasped her elbow and hauled her to her feet in a fluid motion.

"You really should be more careful," Sesshomaru told her.

"Me?!" Kagura shrilled, her voice cracking from the indignation. "You're the one sneaking up on me all the time, Master Stealth!"

Sesshomaru only shrugged. "You are a reporter, you should always be alert."

"I bet you're gonna give me the old 'expect the unexpected' line, right?"

"Never underestimate the power of the unexpected."

There was a crackling moment of silence before Kagura huffed, "Do you have a reason for bothering me? I'm trying to do as you bade me."

Sesshomaru only turned slightly and retrieved something that he had placed on the desk next to her while he had helped her up. Then he handed the cup to her. Coffee. Kagura smelled it once it was placed in her hands. French vanilla. Her favorite.

"You're working hard," he told her, voice as expressionless as usual. "But don't work too hard, or you'll just chase the words away. You've been here over two hours. Go home. You can work more tomorrow."

With that, he walked away as silently as he had come.

Kagura watched him leave, letting the heat from the cup in her hands seep into her. Something was happening to her, something she didn't entirely like. Somehow...the unexpected was starting to happen.

She was...impossibly...starting to like Sesshomaru.

Kagura shivered and gulped a mouthful of the coffee, burning her tongue and the back of her throat in the process. "God really does hate me," she whined.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"You know, we could get arrested for doing this."

"Shut up, Miroku."

"Come on, do we really have to do this? I mean, orange just isn't my color."

"Shut up, Miroku!"

"I don't want to be a burly man's bitch!"

There was a loud thud in the dark, followed by a moan. "Good, now that's he's down, we can do this."

Inuyasha and Sango snuck up the dark sidewalk, sidestepping the streetlight, and heading for the small lime-green Volkswagen bug parked in front of a very posh looking home. Miroku lay on the street, trying to regain his breath after a very strong knee to the stomach via the object of his affections.

Inuyasha watched the house, to make sure no one looked out a window or opened the door. Sango popped the hood on the car and held her flashlight aloft. There was a soft clinking sound, then she closed the hood. "Let's go!" Sango laughed, taking off down the sidewalk to where Inuyasha's car was parked at the end of the street. Inuyasha was right behind her. They paused only long enough to grab Miroku from the road and haul him along with them.

"Oh man," Sango laughed. "I don't remember having such a great time."

"Well, any time you wanna commit a felony, we're your boys," Inuyasha smirked.

"I'll remember that," she grinned. "I just wish I could see the look on Eri's face when she can't get her precious car to start in the morning."

"Do you think the others will cry?" Miroku asked.

Sango sighed wistfully. "I can only hope."

"You're one twisted young lady," Miroku commented.

"I'm no lady," she said with a sassy grin. "But I am very twisted."

"Kudos on the idea though," Inuyasha commented as he got into the driver's seat and started the car. "What made you think of disconnecting the car?"

"They're bitches, all three of them. They need to come down a peg or two, and who better to lord talent over them then us greasers? And there's no way they can prove I did anything, even if they are smart enough to suspect me."

"Well, this was one crazy evening," Miroku commented from the backseat.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha laughed. "You were out cold for half of it."

"Totally not my fault!" he stated.

"Yeah," Sango snorted. "Somehow Inuyasha hit a pothole and your hands just happened to land on my chest...twice."

"Sango, sweetness? "

"Oh, don't you sweetness me!"

"But it was a total accident!"

"So was my cracking you over the head with the tire iron."

"Ok, we're here!" Inuyasha announced, pulling up next to Sango's house.

"Thanks for the ride," she grinned. "See you guys tomorrow." She waved, then scampered up the driveway and inside the house.

Miroku sighed as he climbed into the vacant front seat. "That girl is crazy."

"And you wouldn't like her if she wasn't," Inuyasha pointed out as he turned down the street.

"Well? yeah? but that's not the point." Inuyasha only smirked. "Where are we going? We live the other way."

"I know. I have to drop off an overdue game at the video store."

Miroku clicked his tongue. "Inuyasha, can't you return your games on time?"

"No," he commented. "I just hope that bitchy girl isn't behind the counter again."

"You mean the one that was there last time? Dude, she was hot!"

"Yeah, if you like girls who are on the phone while you're trying to rent a game."

Miroku patted Inuyasha on the shoulder. "Man, you are unskilled in the ways of women, my friend."

They pulled into the parking lot and Inuyasha hopped out of the car, opening the door and slipping into the video store. First place he looked was behind the counter, and much to his dismay, the same girl was standing there. This time, she wasn't on the phone.

He walked up to the counter, depositing his game down rather loudly. The girl jumped, stabbing herself in the finger with the needle she had been using to sew something on to black cloth. She looked up and frowned. She recognized him.

"How can I help you tonight, sir?" she asked before popping her thumb into her mouth.

"I want to return my game, it's overdue," he explained, digging into his pocket for his wallet. The girl took the game and scanned it.

"That's $12.62," she said, taking her thumb out of her mouth long enough to speak.

"But it's only two days late!" Inuyasha protested.

"It's the same price for every day it's late, sir," she said in a less than pleased voice.

"This place is a rip off!" he gripped, tossing a ten, then a five on to the counter.

She rang it up and gave him his change. "Have a good night," she said with a blank expression.

"You know, I should leave a comment to your manager about your insane prices," Inuyasha said with narrowed eyes. "I'm throwing away good money here."

"Perhaps if you bought the game, you wouldn't have to worry about late fees," she said in a helpful-yet-sarcastic tone.

"Oh, I am so sure," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning.

"Farewell," the girl behind the counter waved. "Starland Video will sorely miss your sparking business!"

"Go talk on the phone some more!" he retorted, storming out. Miroku didn't need to ask who was behind the counter when the extremely brooding Inuyasha entered the car again. It was funny really. It wasn't very often that his egotistical friend got put in his place.

One day he'd have to shake the hand of that video store girl.

* * *

A/N: Yay, I really love how that chapter came out. I hope you liked it to. Remember to review! Later!


	8. Love is a Dish best served with Cheese

**A/N:** Yes, another chapter for you, my beloved fans. Before you pelt me with rotten food and angry reviews, let me beg forgiveness on the delay. I've been so busy with the end of school, and working, and college crap that I'm just dying. DYING! But summer is just about here (I graduate on Monday, yay!) and I'm quitting my job in the next few weeks, so I'll have more time to write. Scout's Honor!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I own nothing, which makes me very sad. But soon, very soon, I will have enough to buy my laptop, and then I will own something!

* * *

Unexpected

Chapter 8

* * *

With the tentative bond being formed,

Kagura and the Frog Prince grow closer,

But as time grows shorter,

One bond might not have the strength to break another…

* * *

There was only one week left.

One week until do-or-die time.

One week before Naraku was in her grasp, or lost to her forever.

This was what pounded inside Kagura's head from the moment she woke up until the moment she went to sleep, and it was starting to get to her. Little by little.

She still hadn't found a dress, and the only one she even remotely liked had been bought already by the time she came back with the money. The loss of it was just another sign that the universe was against her. And that God hated her. It didn't do much to raise her spirits.

The funny thing was that the happiest moments she had found herself having were when she was around Sango and Kagome, who were always trying to cheer her up with their antics, or when she was talking politics and philosophy with Sesshomaru during the time she was supposed to be working on her article. The article she still hadn't started. A few ideas had fleetingly inspired her, but nothing good enough. Nothing nearly good enough. Yet.

Currently, Kagura sat on the hood of her car, her legs folded beneath her in a pose of meditation. The sun beat down on her from above, but it was growing colder out now and the light only warmed her slightly. A few other students lingered around this late after school, but none of them gave her more than a passing glance. Normally she would have gone, but she was playing the part of chauffeur again, and was waiting for Sango.

"Well, you look like you're communing with the spirits." Kagura cracked one ruby eye and looked to the side. Naraku was leaning against the side of her car, elbows braced on the hood.

She grinned a little, closing her eyes again. She felt a little jump in her heartbeat. This was a good thing—it meant that the little flux in her sanity around Sesshomaru wasn't a lasting effect. Naraku was still her objective, still her crush, and still within her grasp.

"Just waiting for a little magic," was her sassy reply. "It's really quite interesting."

"As long as it's not a newspaper assignment from Herr Editor, I'm game." Was it normal to suddenly feel a rush of defensive annoyance, and for Sesshomaru no less? Either way, she suppressed it as fast as it had come.

"Kagura!" a voice called from behind. Sango.

"Maybe next time," Kagura told her crush as she slid down her hood and landed on the pavement. Sango rounded the back of the car and came to a stop beside her stepsister, panting and streaked with grease.

"I am so pumped right now!" Sango announced, before she caught sight of Naraku. "Hi," was all she could muster.

"Hey," he responded, looking her up and down. Kagura didn't notice, but Sango did. It made her bristle slightly. "You look a little worse for wear," he said with a smirk.

"Auto shop ran over," was the clipped reply.

"Ah! It's nice to find a girl with a skill," he laughed.

Sango narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth for one of her patented pro-feminist retorts, when another panting student came up beside her.

"San," Miroku rasped. "You left your jacket."

"Thank you, Demon," she said, taking it from his hands. "You didn't have to run all the way here, though."

"I need the exercise," he grinned. "My steady diet of Wendy's and KFC only packs on the pounds, if you get what I mean."

"I know the demands of looking good," Sango nodded. "But I think Grimm will love you, even with the love handles."

"You really think—wait a second… What love handles!" Miroku quickly began looking at himself and Sango was reduced to a fit of giggles.

"Interesting friends you've got here," Naraku commented to Kagura, looking at them with a bit of superiority.

"My stepsister," Kagura replied, though she felt guilt gnawing at her stomach for such a write off as that. "She's a free spirit."

"I'll say." He coughed a little, ran a hand through his hair, and winked one dark eye at Kagura. "I'll see ya later, sweetheart."

"Bye," she said with a wave. Once he was out of earshot, she clamped a hand to her chest and fell backwards across the hood of her car. "I'm pathetic."

"Not really," Sango commented from beside her, smiling with understanding. Miroku waved his goodbye and headed back to the shop. Sango watched with a look of longing and reserve in her eyes. "People do stupid things when they're infatuated."

"I thought the line was 'People do crazy things when they're in love'?"

"I wouldn't say you're in love," Sango combated.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

Kagura sat up and fixed a grin at her stepsister. "The look you just gave that guy would melt a hole through solid rock. You're telling me that's not love?"

"That's lust," Sango commented idly. "I'd totally jump him on the hood of a car if I had the courage."

"Wow," Kagura laughed, sliding off the hood and headed to the driver's side door. "I never thought I'd hear you comment about raping a boy."

"What are you talking about?" Sango retorted. "I want to have my way with guys all the time. Have we forgotten the timeless poem '_Roses are red, Violets are blue, Cillian Murphy, I want to ravish you_?'"

"Yeah, but there is a major difference between your Christian Bale fetish and an actual crush on a boy from school." They headed for home, Kagura enjoying this little turn of events with Sango brooding beside her. "I think it's great."

"Yeah well, don't go inviting him over for tea. And no telling the idiot sisters. I have enough to worry about."

"I won't tell Kanna or Yura, scout's honor."

Sango sighed a little, running a finger over the glass of her window. "Nothing will come of it anyway."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "It's too complicated to explain."

"Cliff notes version."

"Getting close to a person is exposing yourself, your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities. I'm not ready for that, not with him, not with anyone."

Kagura glanced over at Sango for a moment, looking at her stepsister in a new light. She shouldn't have been surprised really, Sango did have the soul of a musician. "I thought you couldn't control love."

"That applies to the people who have the luxury of love," Sango commented, arching her back until she heard the satisfying crack. "For the unlovable, it's just another instance of letting someone down."

"I don't think that's true…"

"Eyes on the road, Kagura," Sango said with a smile, her usual attitude returning. "Don't kill us now. You have a date tomorrow, after all."

Kagura scoffed slightly. "I'm just going to his house. It's not a national emergency."

"Tell that to Grimm," Sango snickered. "He nearly died."

* * *

Kagome was laying on the bottom bleacher, face upturned to the blue sky, with her hands pillowing her head. One of her legs dangled to the side, swishing back and forth with all the enthusiasm of a three-toed sloth. She really hated the waiting game, but that was all she seemed to be playing anymore. 

She'd come to see Hojo but he'd be busy. Hojo would come to see her but she'd be working. It was just… becoming a mess.

A puffy white cloud passed by overhead. With a snort, she thought it looked a lot like a bunny. It made her think of her first date with Hojo, back when she had been a cheerleader and he was second string on the freshmen football team. He'd been so shy, blushing horribly when he first asked her. She had been just as shy and twice as nervous about accepting, but she had stars in her eyes back then.

That had been when he was a scrawny, acne-riddled fourteen-year-old and she was a flat-chested post-pubescent.

Their first date had been to a carnival. His father had a limo take them and bring her home, before her ten o'clock curfew, of course. Hojo won her a huge stuffed rabbit at the ring toss. It was a hideous shade of pink. She still had it in her room. Dr. Cornwallace was what she named it. Now, thinking about how innocent and happy they were made her stomach ache.

No one thought they would make it for more than a few months, not even Kagome herself. But they had been comfortable with each other, and Kagome really liked Hojo. He understood her life, conformed to it. It had only been in recent months that his jealousy and impatience had gotten the better of him.

"You look like a girl with a lot on her mind," a male voice commented from above her. A handsome face appeared in her line of vision, and Kagome smiled.

"Hi, Kouga," she greeted, sitting up with a sigh. "I was just cloud-gazing."

"See anything good?" The former football player whipped out a Slim Jim from his backpack and ripped the top open with his teeth.

"Not really," she lied, leaning back against the bleachers. "Do you think Hojo will be out soon?"

"Who can say?" Kouga shrugged, chewing happily on his meat stick. "He and the others are in the locker room measuring themselves and having a great laugh at the Towel Boy."

Kagome giggled a little. "You used to be one of them, you know."

"If my arm hadn't given out, I'd still be one of them," he nodded. "But things happen for a reason."

"I suppose." Kagome lost herself in musings for a moment, before she remembered something important she needed to address. "Before I forget, could I ask you a favor?"

"Moi?" Kouga asked, turning blue eyes to her with feigned innocence. Then he gave her his signature wolfish grin, the kind that made most female knees weaken. "What can I do you for?"

"You're still single, right?"

Kouga arched a brow. "Jock-boy not fulfilling all your womanly needs?"

Kagome blushed dully. "That's not what I meant."

"Aw, so no extra somethin' on the side for Kagome?"

"Kagome is happy with her boyfriend, thanks."

Kouga looked crestfallen, and sighed. "Oh well, another crushing defeat." It had been a great joke that Kouga was smitten with Kagome, and had been for years. Kagome felt a little bad for him and knew that, had he asked her first, she would have been Kouga's girlfriend before Hojo's. Still, she would give him the next best thing.

"I was wondering if I persuade you to go out with a friend of mine," Kagome commented, twiddling her thumbs innocently.

Kouga perked, looking at her with suspicion. "Friend?"

"Her name is Ayame," Kagome nodded. "I work with her. She goes to St. Catharine's school for girls on the other side of town."

"A Catholic school girl? You know what they say about those girls! Pent up sexual frustration and the like. I swear, Kagome, you want me to get molested!"

She only smiled at his mock outrage. "She's a really great person, always cheerful and fun. But quite hotheaded and opinionated. It costs her many a men folk." After a pause of thought, Kagome grinned at him. "She's a lot like you, actually. And I do think you'd like her."

"I dunno," he said with a sigh. "You'd owe me a favor."

"Wait until after you meet her," Kagome laughed. "Then we'll see who owes who a favor."

He shook his head, tucking black hair behind his ear. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Good!" Kagome clapped her hands together, delighted.

"Kagome!" Turning, she saw Hojo standing at the bottom of the bleachers, equipment bag over his shoulder and a sour expression on his face. His eyes were on Kouga, not her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said, trying her best to act like the perfect girlfriend. "I'll talk to you more later, Kouga."

"Have fun, you crazy kids!" Kouga waved, leaning back and enjoying the rest of his meat.

Kagome scampered down the last of the stairs and surprised her boyfriend by being the first to kiss him. "Practice went well," she praised when she broke from him. "You guys are in great form."

"You didn't think Bankotsu was lagging?"

"Not at all!" They walked arm in arm to his car, something they hadn't done in ages.

"What were you talking to Kouga about? He seemed enthralled."

Kagome was careful about checking him on his jealousy, and decided to let it slide. If she wanted things to work, she had to keep her feathers unruffled. "I wanted to know if he wanted to meet my friend Ayame, from work. I think they'd make a cute couple."

"Playing matchmaker Kagome?"

"I've been known to, in my spare time," she laughed.

Hojo tossed his bag in the trunk of his car, and opened Kagome's door for her. All gallantry and politeness. "It's nice to see you acting more like your old self."

She smiled. "I'm glad to be more like my old self."

"Do you want to go to our spot?" The old walnut tree, just off the back road of town.

Kagome looked at the clock. "Alright," she agreed. "As long as we're home by eight."

"Two hours," Hojo grinned as he turned the key in the ignition. "Plenty of time."

* * *

Kagura wasn't surprised by Sesshomaru's house, though it was more of a mansion than a house. She had known he came from money, a lot of money, so it wasn't a great shock. Still, she was impressed. 

Her father and stepmother both made a generous amount of money, which always kept their family well taken care of. They had a good sized home, and everything a reasonable teenager could want. But her world paled in comparison to his, and it left her feeling slightly sick.

She parked in the long driveway and made her way toward the frosted glass front doors, ringing the bell with a sweaty hand. When the door opened, she wasn't faced with either of the Reaper brothers, but a small black-haired girl. She blinked owlishly up at Kagura with dark eyes.

"Hello," Kagura said with a little smile. "I'm here to see Sesshomaru."

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, opening the door wider. "You're Kagura, right?" Kagura nodded. "He's been expecting you. He's in his office, come on!" After closing the door, the girl grabbed Kagura's hand and began tugging her toward a room at the end of a long hallway.

"Sesshomaru!" the girl yelled, pushing open a door. "Your girlfriend is here!"

Sesshomaru sat behind a large mahogany desk, his glasses perched on the very bridge of his nose as he looked up at them. "She's not my girlfriend, Rin," was his reply before looking back down at what he had been reading. Kagura felt slightly disappointed by that, but it was masked with annoyance.

"She's not?" Rin blinked. "Then Inuyasha is right?"

"Right?" Sesshomaru asked, still not looking up.

"That you really are gay," his little sister said with a sigh before leaving.

Kagura snorted, then quickly covered her mouth with her hands to keep from laughing. Sesshomaru looked up slowly, zeroing in on her with a narrowed and dangerous gaze. "Sorry," she blurted when she could.

"I'm sure you are," Sesshomaru nodded, getting up. He placed his glasses on the desk and moved to the doorway. "Excuse me a moment."

Kagura watched him leave, heard a few raised but muffled voices from down the hall, then the crack and holler of someone being pummeled. He returned a moment later, adjusting the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt. "Everything ok?" she asked him.

"Perfectly fine," he told her. "We'll be getting refreshments in a moment. The house boy is just cleaning himself up."

"Oh," was her witty reply. "So, um, what are we doing tonight?"

"Kagome told me that you don't know how to dance," Sesshomaru commented, moving around the room. He moved a leather couch against the wall, a few antique chairs into the corner of the room, then went to fiddle with the small stereo that was rigged up in his wall unit. "I thought we'd start there."

"We really don't have to—"

"We are attending a dance," he commented with his usual amount of forceful patience. "It would be wise to at least attempt one dance, unless of course you are afraid of making physical contact with me in public."

Kagura narrowed her eyes, body going taut as a bowstring. "I'm not afraid, Mr. Know-it-all. I just happened to… have no rhythm, at all."

"That is why we practice," he said with a nod, clicking the stereo on to a classical music station. Beethoven filled the air and Kagura felt herself become a little more nervous.

Thankfully, she was saved from making the next move when there was a knock at the door. It opened without permission and Inuyasha Reaper walked in. He muttered under his breath and looked rather rumpled, and more than a little disgruntled. There was a silver tray in his hands. On it was an open ream of Ritz crackers and a can of cheese whiz. Sesshomaru fixed his brother with a hard glare.

"It's all we had," Inuyasha growled. "It's either this, or caviar. And frankly, I don't think Kagura is ready for fish embryos."

"He's right," she nodded. "I'm good with the cheese whiz."

"If it's satisfactory to you," Sesshomaru told her. Then he looked back at Inuyasha. "You're dismissed, house boy."

"Don't call me that, you fucking bastard!"

"Then stop being an idiot. Go watch Rin and make yourself useful."

"One of these days," Inuyasha vowed. "I'll—"

"You'll what? Learn manners and kill me from shock?" Inuyasha only sputtered with rage at that, so Sesshomaru took the opportunity to usher him out and close the door.

"There is no way the two of you are related," Kagura commented when it was safe.

"What do you mean?"

"You're such opposites," she laughed. "You're cool and collected, and he's totally an on-the-fly guy."

"I like to think that I got the better end of the deal."

"True," Kagura nodded, grabbing a cracker from the tray on the desk. "Shall we begin?"

"Very well." Sesshomaru led Kagura to the center of the floor, then positioned her hands, one on his shoulder and the other in his own. He placed his other hand on her waist, successfully flustering her all the more. "The first step is to not look at your feet," he commented when all she could do was stare at her boots.

"Then how do I know where to step?" she retorted.

"You feel it," he tutored. "It goes with the rhythm, and it always moves in a three-step pattern." He moved her back one step, to the right one step, and then forward again. "Half a box for each repetition, then you just repeat it. As long as you have the basic step, you can turn and circle with ease."

"This is very embarrassing," she said, more to herself than to him.

"Once you learn it, things will be easier."

Kagura looked up and realized just how close together they were when they danced like this. She could make out the exact shade of amber that was his eyes. "Where did you learn to dance?" she heard herself ask. A meaningless, impertinent question.

"My mother," he answered. "She likes to dance very much, and since my father has two left feet, I was the next best thing."

"Do you like it?"

"Sometimes," was his airy response. It was the first time Kagura ever heard him sound so… normal. Not indifferent, not annoyed or deadpan. There was life in his voice then, and life in him. She could feel it when she was this close. His eyes widened just the slightest amount when he realized she was leaning into him.

And suddenly, she was even closer.

Maybe she could blame it on the music, which had moved into a very romantic violin solo. Maybe she could blame in on the dancing and the mood. She could blame anything she wanted, but before she could stop herself, she was a breath away from his lips. A heartbeat away from kissing him. And the scary thing was that every fiber of her was screaming for her to do it.

"I forgot the drinks," Inuyasha announced, pushing himself through the doors with a juice box in each hand. He stormed through, placed them on the tray, and then left without giving them a second glance. It was enough of an interruption that forced Kagura to jump back from Sesshomaru, and the spell of the dance was broken.

Shaken by what she had almost done, she tried to hide her embarrassment. "Oh look, Juicy Juice."

"Inuyasha…" Sesshomaru growled under his breath, vowing eternal pain and suffering upon his little brother. When he turned back to look at Kagura, she was spraying a glob of cheese on to a cracker and nibbling on it like a rabbit with lettuce.

"Do you always eat your food like a rodent?" he asked. An excellent icebreaker.

Ruby eyes met him with a look of cool amusement. "Do I look like Mickey Mouse to you?"

"If you wore red, you might pass for Minnie," was his reply.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes?"

"Suck cheese!" Kagura whipped the can of cheese whiz in front of her and before he could react, she had pressed down on the cap, dosing him with a sticky, cheesy string of orange-yellow dairy product.

When the can was empty, and he was generously covered, Kagura grinned up at him. Sesshomaru only looked at her calmly. "I hope you're prepared to pay for the dry cleaning of this shirt," he said.

Kagura smiled, then giggled, then dropped the can so she could laugh fully. That statement struck her as just so undeniably Sesshomaru. Something he would have said back in the fourth grade even. Without even knowing it, she realized how well she actually knew him. Better than all the ferreted information Kagome and Sango could ever dig up. And that filled her with a comfort she hadn't known she could feel.

Though, her feelings became less fuzzy and more bent on revenge when Sesshomaru wiped a large smear of cheese bi-product across the side of her face.

Dancing was not attempted again that night. And by the time Kagura left, Sesshomaru was sure his office would smell like cheese whiz until the day he died.

* * *

Kagome adjusted the hanger one more time. The finished dress that hung on the closet door was tailored to fit one size. If she went over or under, it would never fit. She had to be precise and perfect. Which was what she always was. She was just that good. 

The slinky black fabric had been tricky to work with, since it bunched if she wasn't careful, but she had surged the edges with the same blood red as the dragon running along the side to make sure there would be no frays or snags. The design was actually pretty simple. A Chinese cheongsam, but with a flare of lace and a more free-flowing skirt.

For a moment, Kagome just leaned back to admire her handiwork, but then she yawned and decided it was time to head back. She pulled out a small index card from her sewing basket and pinned it to the dress. She headed out the backdoor, the way she had come in, and hopped the fence. She rubbed her blurry eyes as she made her way back into the house.

Sango watched from her window, making sure Kagome didn't pass out in the backyard on her way home. Once she was sure that Kagome was gone, she ran to Kagura's room to inspect the results. Kagome had talked of no other design but this dress since she had decided. And looking at it, Sango knew Kagura would love it. It was just perfect enough. It was just… classic Kagura in every way.

Sango was just a bit jealous. She was usually the only model for Kagome's high fashion risks, but as long as it was for Kagura, she could overlook it. Just this once. Sango ran her fingers through her hair—which was streaked with blue this week—and smiled to herself. This dress was almost enough to make her start believing in faerie tales again.

The headlights of the Sundance pierced the hallway window, signaling Kagura's arrival home. Sango scampered out of the room and waited. She was surprised to see Kagura come walking in, covered in goo and smelling like salty cheese.

"Did you go to a keg party or something?"

"Food fight," Kagura yawned. "Must shower. Too much cheese."

"Before you pass out, you should check out what's hanging on your closet," Sango advised.

"What is it?"

"You'll see," was her stepsister's cryptic reply.

Kagura walked into her room, clicking on the light and looked at the closet. On the door hung her dress. Not just any dress, it was _her_ dress. The kind of dress you can only find in a dream because it's just too perfect for you. But there was her dream dress, in silk and thread glory.

She was afraid to touch it, for fear of it becoming branded with cheese, but she did pluck off the index card.

_Happy Homecoming! –K_

Maybe, just maybe, there could be a happy ending this time.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I really did. I had a totally different beginning for the chapter that was standing for about two months, but then—about two days ago—I came and deleted it all and built the chapter from scratch. Yes, enjoy the fruits of two days of labor. Two days of nothing but my computer and a_ Mary Poppins _DVD. 


	9. Love's Labor Lost

**A/N:** Yes, a new chapter… for you… the readers! I'm running on inspiration here. I really want to get this story finished so I can finish up CotG and jump into a new mini-series I have brewing. School is out, I am a graduate (yay) so I have more time to write. Yes, muhahaha! Before I jump into the story itself, I have a couple reviewers I'd like to address. Feel free to skip. Enjoy!

**drake220:** (I've been going through a Disney phase) 2 more chapters (counting this one) and an epilogue. A total of 11 chapters.

**animegirl75:** That is the greatest phrase ever! Mind if I use it?

**MoonlightShadow4:** The things you do for me! We-ell, excuse me for li-ving! My cult following enjoys my quirkiness! The things I do for you, like updating, humph!

**Inuchic515:** (tackles) I love you! You are the only one to pick up my subtle Batman hints! And yes, it was an amazing movie (seen it twice so far). When I watched as Katie Holmes got to kiss Christian Bale, I couldn't help think "why not me?" (I've been a loyal fan of his since _Newsies_) And as for Cillian...I have a thing for Villains. Thanks for letting me rant (and for reviewing, of course)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the pop culture references I use in my chapters (but I do own the poem "Roses Are Red, violets are blue, Cillian Murphy, I want to ravish you" in case anyone wants to read the full version) and I own the poem , which is used in this chapter.

**

* * *

**

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 9**

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* * *

** I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the pop culture references I use in my chapters (but I do own the poem "Roses Are Red, violets are blue, Cillian Murphy, I want to ravish you" in case anyone wants to read the full version) and I own the poem , which is used in this chapter.

In a land of enchantment and spells,

It is hard to tell the friend from foe,

For a maiden and her Frog Prince,

It's harder to trust a hardened heart…

* * *

"Kagura! Isn't this one beautiful?"

A long red prom-like dress stood on a mannequin in the front window of a small boutique. The lush red color was offset by a thousand tiny pearls sewn into the bodice, giving off the appearance of both class and seduction. Yura and Kanna were both glued to the glass.

"It's lovely," Kagura nodded.

She had been roped into taking the twins shopping for their Homecoming dresses. It wasn't like she despised her sisters, like Sango, but she did find them trying after a while in their company. She loved her sisters, they _were_ her sisters, but they were different from Kagura. And she had little hope of them ever overcoming the gaps in their personalities. Still, she could handle an afternoon of shopping.

"You're right," Yura nodded. "I think I want that one."

"No way, I saw it first!" Kanna cried.

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

They glared at each other, then simultaneously put out their right hands. Kagura covered her face with her hand and pretended not to know them as they rock-paper-scissor-ed their decision.

"Yes!" Kanna squealed. "Scissors beats paper!"

"Two out of three!" Yura whined.

"No, I want to go try on _my_ new dress!"

Yura chased after Kanna as she ran into the small store. "Kanna, you're not being fair!"

"I'll just be waiting out here," Kagura called after them. Neither gave her a backward glance. With a sigh, Kagura walked over to a small bench in the center of the walkway and plopped down, legs spread out and arms draped across the back.

She already had a dress, so shopping was now an exhausting task. Leave it to her sisters to go shopping for their dresses the day before Homecoming. All the good dresses would be gone, or picked over, or they would just have to deal with the fact that another girl might have the same one they did.

Kagura's dress was special though. A one of a kind 'Kagome Original' as Sango gloated with all the pride of a mother hen. It was definitely going to impress Sessho—Naraku. It was going to impress Naraku. Knock his boots off. Floor him. Him, not the other one.

Kagura did a mental double take and paled. She had been thinking about Sesshomaru again, something she had been doing quite a lot over the past few days, since their Saturday night activities. The fuzzies she was feeling were really making her nervous.

Was it normal to like two guys at the same time? Was it fair? Did it matter?

And how could you like two guys so totally different?

Naraku was all flash and sex appeal, but he had strong opinions and such a talent with words. But Sesshomaru was talented too. He might be straight-laced and rather stiff, but he understood the value of hard work and what was worth fighting for.

Kagura pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, thinking. She supposed it was really a matter of whom she liked more. Naraku had been her crush for ages, seemingly forever, while her feelings for Sesshomaru were new and exciting, and just a little scary. Why were these things always so hard? Why couldn't she just be like Kagome and hook up with a good-looking boy for a couple years? Why couldn't she be like Sango and enjoy the single life more?

Was it possible to have a mid-life crisis at eighteen?

"Hi, Kagura!" Looking up, Kagura was met by two large brown eyes and a toothy smile, all belonging to Sesshomaru's sister, Rin Reaper.

"Rin! What are you doing here?" Since Saturday, Kagura had gone to Sesshomaru's lovely home a few times, and even been witness to the weekly karate carpool he and Kagome shared. In the time, she had come to like Rin very much. A perfect mixture of wit and charm and fake innocence in a pint-sized girl.

"Shopping," Rin said in a grown-up voice. She even held up her shopping bags for proof.

"By yourself?"

"Of course not," Rin giggled. "I can't drive or anything." The young girl promptly sat herself next to Kagura on the bench, arranging her bags around her with the ease of practice. "Sesshomaru brought me."

"Sesshomaru is here?" Kagura couldn't stop herself from scanning the surrounding area, and making Rin giggle again.

"He stopped in that tailor place on the second floor," she informed Kagura. Then, tilting her head to the side, looked over the older girl. "You really like him, don't you?"

Startled, Kagura looked at the girl beside her. "You shouldn't ask that of your elders," was all she said.

Rin nodded. "I get that a lot. Mom thinks I'm too old for a ten year old. Dad thinks I'm just like Sesshomaru." She grinned happily up at Kagura. "I guess I just see a lot of what goes on around me; at least, that's what Kohaku says."

"Kohaku… Kagome's brother?"

"Yup!" Rin blushed a little, but beamed.

"Ah," Kagura smirked. "I sense puppy love."

"No more than what you have," Rin teased back. "It has no set age."

"You are the perfect example of why I won't have children," Sesshomaru commented as he strolled up to the bench. Kagura jumped a bit at his sudden appearance—as she always did, being a high strung individual. Rin only smiled up at him, as if his dour attitude didn't faze her in the least.

"You say that, but you will."

"Hello, Kagura."

"Ah, you noticed me," she said with the ease of their normal exchanges. "Hello."

"What brings you to the mall at this hour?" he asked. Polite small talk.

"Brought my sisters. They still don't have _the_ perfect dress for the dance."

"Ah."

"Wow," Rin said suddenly. "You two are very boring." She hopped to her feet, tossing a lock of hair over one shoulder. "If you need me, I'll be in Sunshine Spirits." Then, bags in hand, she left them in favor of a store across the walkway. Both teenagers just blinked at her dramatic exit.

"Does she do that a lot?" Kagura asked.

"She got it from my brother," was his reply. "He too has a patent for theatrics."

Kagura chuckled. "Should we follow?"

He raised a single brow. "You'd abandon your sisters to do battle with Macy's alone?"

"Absolutely," she said with a groan. Sesshomaru held out his hand, which she took without a second thought, and allowed him to help her to her feet. Then they trailed after Rin, not bothering to notice their hands were still joined. "Do you take Rin here a lot?" Kagura asked as they walked. Conversation, she found, was always easier when it was about something Sesshomaru cared about.

"Sometimes," he said absently. "I haven't had much time to spend with her since I started the internship in December."

"Internship?"

"I work for my father's newspaper." No flaunting or pride. It was just a statement.

"So your journalistic roots run deep," she commented, watching his face carefully for any change.

"My love of writing was something encouraged all my life," Sesshomaru explained. "Father always wanted to leave the paper to Inuyasha or myself. Or even Rin, if she had shown interest."

"I take it they didn't want it," Kagura said, the full story dawning in her mind.

"Inuyasha has never pretended to like the business, and Rin is young enough to explore anything. I always had a natural attraction to it, so I pursued it."

"Must have made them happy," was all she said.

"I suppose," was his reply. "And what burning desire made you leap into journalism?"

"My mom," Kagura said with a proud smile. "She was a poet and moonlighted with newspapers and magazines. I have clippings of all her published works in a shoebox under my bed."

"Following in her footsteps?"

"Something like that. Maybe I just wanted to be closer to her, because I never got to know her when she was alive."

Sesshomaru nodded his head and didn't say anything further. It relieved Kagura. Most people would offer empty condolences or some kind of half-witted explanation of some great aunt or grandparent that died in their extreme youth, as a way of making up for it. As if they could understand. The fact that he didn't do this, didn't absently make a mockery of her loss, did her heart good.

"Oh my God!" Rin laughed as she came up behind them. "You guys are having a Zack Morris moment!"

"A what?" Sesshomaru asked, giving her a look that made it clear that he didn't particularly care what it meant.

"The hand holding," she giggled. "It's such a Morris moment."

Kagura looked down and noticed for the first time that they were still holding hands. As if caught doing something bad, she pulled back and coughed awkwardly.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagura, then Rin. "Is that some obscure reference from one of your teen dramas where a pretty actor has sex on a merry-go-round?"

Rin giggled again. "That's One Tree Hill," she explained. "I meant Saved by the Bell. You should know the difference, that's from your time frame."

"You know," Kagura interjected. "That sitcom with the six kids who went through everything a kid could possibly go through while enduring about eight years of high school. And I think there was a scary principal, way too much togetherness for my taste."

"Exactly!" Rin nodded. "Reruns make my life, though. I just love how the youth of American is six clean-cut, popular, and pretty teenagers."

"You both frighten me," Sesshomaru commented dryly.

"Hmph," Rin pouted. "You just don't understand the importance of pop culture."

"You're right," her brother agreed. Then he sighed. "Are we almost finished here?"

"In this store," Rin said, sticking out her tongue. "I just have one more stop to make."

"Lead the way," Kagura laughed.

"Thank you, Kagura," Rin said.

"Good lord, this isn't going to be one of those female… tag-team things, is it?" Sesshomaru asked, already feeling the walls closing in.

"No," his sister huffed. "I'm going shopping. You talk with your girlfriend." With that, she stalked off to yet another store, without looking back. Queen of Sheba style.

"I tried with that girl, I really did," Sesshomaru lamented sadly.

Kagura laughed again, that kind of laugh that came from your stomach, made you double over a bit and cover you mouth. A kind of laugh that Kagura hardly ever let herself indulge in. Full belly laughs were not something gothic poets allowed. But in that moment, she didn't know why. It made her feel a thousand times better, about everything.

"We'd better go," Sesshomaru said patiently. "Or we might lose her."

"Oh no," Kagura grinned. "We've lost another one to the corporate slaughter house that is Old Navy."

"That sounds like something Kagome would say," he commented, hands in his pockets. "In between ideas of how to make the fashion world great again."

"You seem to know her pretty well," Kagura commented. There was a flick of something in her stomach. Jealousy maybe? She pushed it aside.

"She is… a very persistent girl," was his reply.

"Persistent, that's all?"

"You think there's something else?"

"You tell me," Kagura pushed, curiosity growing. Oh, the whole 'killed the cat' thing made people think curiosity was bad, but for a hardcore journalist like herself, it was her greatest weapon. "How'd you two meet?"

Sesshomaru was quiet for a long moment, and she thought he wasn't going to answer. They strolled through the racks of clearance clothing outside of the store, pasted the headless mannequins. "We met… not long after we started freshmen year," he said thoughtfully. "I'd seen her in class, we had a few honors classes together, and though we weren't friends, she was always kind. We would both stay after school now and then, for extra credit, so when we waited for rides, she'd talk to me. I didn't know why, since I rarely responded. But without fail, if we waited together, this pretty little chatterbox would keep the silence at bay."

"Kagome's like that," Kagura nodded. "Always a sweet girl."

"Yes," he agreed. "But being pretty and friendly can attract some unwanted attention."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it was October, the day we really _met_. I had stayed inside a little longer, to talk with our teacher, and she went out to wait in the parking lot. Her mother was running late, she had told me. It happened a lot, so it never bothered her, but I knew she didn't like standing around alone. So after I was done, I went outside to wait with her. When I got to the parking lot, I saw that three senior boys were sitting in the back of a pick-up truck, smoking pot and making cat calls at her."

"Fucking bastards," Kagura swore.

"That wasn't the worst part," Sesshomaru said dryly. "Two of said bastards decided to hop out of the truck and try to grab her."

"They wouldn't dare!" she said in horror, ruby eyes wide.

He only nodded. "Pretty girl alone in a parking lot, no one around. Easy target when you're stoned and stupid."

"Did you stop them?" Kagura asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't particularly like watching women be molested in parking lots, so yes, I stepped in."

"I hope you beat the fuckers into a meat pie!"

"Something of the sort," he commented, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "We agreed it was better not to make a big deal out of it. We did tell a teacher that these three guys were out back, smoking and fighting with each other. They were suspended, and after that, Kagome would wait until I went out to the parking lot with her."

"Wow," Kagura said with admiration in her voice. "I didn't know you guys had such an… understanding."

"It's not something I tell a lot of people," he commented. "And she doesn't either, so I'd appreciate if this was off the record."

"Of course," she nodded. "It's just weird."

"What is?"

"It doesn't sound like something you'd do at all, does it?"

Sesshomaru shrugged and walked on. "I surprise myself on occasion," he succeeded. He surprised her too, she admitted to herself. And she liked that. And him. A lot.

"Is that why Rin takes karate?"

"One of the reasons," Sesshomaru nodded. "I never want Rin to be in a situation where she could become a victim."

"There you two are!" Rin exclaimed, walking up to them with a toothy smile. "I've been looking all over. I'm ready to go."

"Alright," her brother nodded. Then he looked back to Kagura. "I suppose I'll see you in school tomorrow."

"Yep," Kagura said, linking her hands behind her back again, a smile tugging at her face. "Bye Rin."

"Bye Kagura!"

The Reaper siblings left for home, and Kagura went to find her sisters again. And found them, each with a dress bought and paid for. The very same dress with the pearl bodice, only Yura's was pink.

* * *

Kagome sat on the picnic table in the back of the Hart's yard, a sketchpad on her lap. For some reason, the boss had given her a three-day weekend, starting on Thursday. Though, she had a sneaking suspicion Hojo was behind it. For the sake of Homecoming. But with Hojo busy at practice, and the boys at karate, she had an afternoon to burn. Homework was done. Dinner was made. Now she could just sit back and relax. 

Sango sat nearby, plucking on her guitar. No real aim or melody, just for the sake of practice.

"Hey, you finished yet?"

"Almost," Kagome grinned, her pencil moving furiously over the paper. "It's looking cute though."

"How long has it been since you just sat around and doodled for me?" Sango asked, a reminiscing smile on her face.

"Ages," Kagome nodded. "It's been forever since I've had that kind of time."

"Kags, you're such a good girl," Sango sighed.

"When I wanna be," was the singsong response. "Now play me something pretty or I won't show you when I'm finished."

"Slave driver."

"Slacker."

Sango strummed a few bars, hummed a tune. Not a real song, not yet. It was still moving around in her head. One of these days, she was going to write down one of her melodies and make Kagura write some lyrics. Sango wasn't much for the poetry scene, unless it was a comedic effort to show her undying love for a pretty villain in a Batman film. "You want to go to Serpentine tonight?"

"Not really," Kagome admitted. "I got my fill last time we were there."

Sango grinned. "I still can't believe you pulled that 180 on Kagura and switched shifts to go with her. Especially since Hojo is always begging you to take off and you never do."

"The difference between Hojo and Kagura is that Hojo only wants me to take off so he can make out with me. Kagura had a legitimate need for me to be there."

"Whatever you say," Sango laughed. "Are you done yet?"

"Yup!" Kagome grinned and flipped her notebook around, showing the sketch to her friend.

"Yay, cat boy!" Sango squealed, grabbing the pad from Kagome. "So cute! Look at the little ears!"

Kagome coughed and smiled. "Actually, it's a dog boy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know cat boys, can't stand water. I like a boy who can get wet."

Sango laughed. "You're so twisted!"

"I'm a dog lover, what's your excuse?" Kagome retorted.

"I dunno," Sango shrugged and handed the pad back. "It's still pretty cute though. Don't you wish guys like that were real?"

"Oh, I'm sure they're out there somewhere," Kagome grinned. "Where you least expect to find them. Where there is a lonely girl in need of something to cuddle, the dog boy will be there."

"Oh, you've gone all _Grapes of Wrath_ on me now."

They laughed a little, before they were interrupted by the return of the Hart sisters. Kanna and Yura raced each other to the stairs and proceeded to call everyone they knew to talk about dresses and dance details for the next night. Kagura wandered into the backyard and sprawled on the picnic table.

"You look beat," Kagome commented with a smile. She was back to work at her sketchpad.

"I had to follow them around, then I met up with Sesshomaru and Rin and followed them around, then I had to follow them around again." Kagura sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I've had a busy day."

"Poor dear," Sango nodded, patting her on the knee. "Well, you can relax with us for a while."

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

And all was right with the world. The three of them had, without even realizing it, become that close. No fancy words were needed. No dignity required. Laugh at yourself and each other. That kind of friendship. The kind that takes forever to build, but can never be broken.

"So why didn't you ever tell me about what happened in the parking lot?" Kagura asked Kagome later when she had brought up the subject of her friendship with Sesshomaru.

"He doesn't like me spreading it around that he's a good guy," Kagome said with a shrug. "I figured it was better not to say anything. Instead, I just doubled my efforts to be friendly. Maybe he's not my _friend_, but I want to see him happy, and I would walk through fire to save him if he ever needed it."

"High praise indeed," Sango grinned. "Now show me the kitty boy you promised!"

Kagome flashed another sketch, this time of a little fox boy. One that bore a remarkable resemblance to her youngest brother. "Shippou makes me think of a fox, with his cleverness."

Sango ate up the cuteness, but still pouted. She wanted a kitty. Kagome complied after a while, and that made her happy again.

"So, you guys are leaving for the dance at seven tomorrow?" she asked, stroking the paper.

"Yeah," Kagome nodded. "Are you sure you don't want to come? I could score you a ticket, really."

"Not my scene," Sango said, wrinkling her nose. Then she placed a hand to her heart. "Not that I have a dress or anything to wear! Heaven forbid I show up at Homecoming, dressed like an urchin!"

"Can the dramatics, Sango," Kagome giggled.

"You know, we should have a code name. Call ourselves something, like a gang!" the other said excitedly.

"I think you've been hanging around those two shop friends of yours too much," Kagura deduced. "They polluted your virgin mind into calling yourself something like… I dunno… Hellspawn."

"Hellspawn? Where the fuck did that come from?" Sango laughed.

Kagura shrugged. "Well, those two fools are what? Grimm Reaper and Demon Yuki? Tell me that's not cliché!"

"It really is," Kagome agreed.

"Well, we won't have any individual names," Sango defended. "We can just have a code name for the three of us."

"Oh man, we're such the drama club," Kagura sighed.

"I concur," Kagome grinned.

"There we go!" Sango cried gleefully. "We're the Drama Club, from now until the day we die!"

"Are we all going to die on the same day?" Kagura asked Kagome in hushed tones.

"Apparently," Kagome responded in the like. "Just don't point that out to Sango. She's too happy with her brainstorming."

* * *

"This sucks. And I'm not talking vacuum sucks, I'm talking black hole. Major suckage. Suckville, Ohio." 

"Never been there."

Miroku and Inuyasha sprawled around in Miroku's bedroom. It was small, with a curtain on the doorframe separating it from the rest of the home. Miroku shared a small trailer with his father, in one of the less reputable parts of town. A fire destroyed their old house almost three years ago, and since Miroku's father had been laid off at the time, and the insurance was less than the cost of rebuilding, they had to find a cheaper home. Since then, they had been saving to buy a house, and were happily approaching their mark.

"Yeah well, it sucks," Inuyasha commented, draping himself across Miroku's bed, head hanging over the side.

"With a name like Suckville, I thought it might be kinda cool." Miroku raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, earning a groan from his partner in crime.

"I swear, you're a dirty old man."

"Actually, I'm a dirty young man," Miroku corrected. He sat on the floor with his second-hand laptop, cruising E-bay for discounted car parts. "When I hit Pop's age, then I'll be a dirty old man."

"I forgot perversion runs in your family," Inuyasha said dryly, sighing.

"It's an incurable disease, my friend. But at least it's not as bad as your problems."

"I can't believe she did this to me…" Inuyasha lamented, sitting up. "It's my _senior year_, why do I need a tutor?"

"Maybe because you're brilliant, but lazy," Miroku chuckled.

"Maybe you should write your own lines," was the retort.

"I would, but I'm just as lazy as you are." Then, to amend his statement, "But at least I do my homework." Inuyasha groaned and flopped back down. "Any idea who the tutor is?"

"Naw," he writhed. "The school says they can't place me with one until second quarter, so I'll find out then." He floundered around on the bed for a while, fetal position to spread eagle and back again. "My mother is still trying to make me into a respectable member of the community. High society."

"Grimm, you… kinda _are_ high society."

"No I'm not," he said defensively. "I'm just a guy. All that country club, golf shoe, dinner party, jacket and tie shit isn't me. So my parents have money, so what?"

"Money makes a difference in the world," Miroku commented. "Money gets respect, power—"

"Money means privilege," Inuyasha spat. "It means people will pretend to like you and be nice to you because you have power over them. It means you can get anything without working for it. It means snobs and Ivy League and self-righteous, selfish bastards."

"'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'," Miroku quoted, then went back to his computer. "One of these days, amigo, you'll find where you're supposed to be. But until then, you can wander through life with me."

Inuyasha snorted. "You're not wandering, my demonic henchman. You have a plan. "

"True. But no money means no college. And no college means I can kiss my dreams of graphic arts and animation goodbye and say hello to a fabulous life of burger flipping or auto mechanics."

"You make good money as a mechanic," Inuyasha shrugged, knowing it meant little. Miroku had dreams and ambition; he didn't.

"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" Miroku asked, switching subjects tactfully. "It's Homecoming, we could crash."

"Ah, the ticket takers doubled since our stunt last year. We'll have to be careful."

"You have a plan?" Miroku ran a finger over the streak of red in his hair and grinned devilishly. The angelic demon.

"Do I ever!" Inuyasha grinned.

They spent the rest of the afternoon plotting.

* * *

"Sesshomaru!" 

"What now?" He didn't look up from his desk as Bankotsu and Jakotsu stormed into his office. It was a nasty habit of theirs he never got around to breaking.

"We've gotta talk to you," Jakotsu said, his voice getting higher with his anxiety.

"It's important," Bankotsu voiced. He looked solemn, and that wasn't always a good thing.

"Alright," Sesshomaru conceded, placing his glasses on top of the paper he was correcting. "You have three minutes."

"Bankotsu and I were under the bleachers after practice," Jakotsu began. "You know that under the bleachers is our favorite spot to go to after a practice when we want to release tension--"

"Jakotsu, keep to the point," Sesshomaru commented. "I've no interest in your sex life."

Jakotsu pouted, so Bankotsu took over the explanation. "We were just coming out from under the bleachers when we saw Naraku, you know, that asshole sports writer? He was talking with some guys from my team, Hojo and Carmine. Sex and women, the only thing they ever talk about. So we weren't paying much attention until Naraku brought up Kagura."

"What?" That had Sesshomaru's attention.

"Yeah, he started talking about this fucked up plan. To go to the dance without a date and steal someone else's, and your lady is his prime candidate. He was saying all this shit about how he couldn't believe such a 'ripe plum' could be under his nose for so long without his noticing. It was disgusting."

"It was degrading towards women," Jakotsu commented, then shrugged. "He's always hitting on girls, not that I care much."

"You care," Bankotsu said. "Because he's a dick and he's trying to steal your friend's woman."

"Kagura is not my woman," Sesshomaru commented.

"Well, she's _almost_ your woman… isn't she?"

That was met with a resonating wall of silence. The two gay boys sighed synonymously. "Well, our three minutes are up," Bankotsu commented. "We'll get out of your hair. Just be careful, alright? Naraku is an ass, and there's no telling what he could try to pull with Kagura."

Sesshomaru watched his two friends go with more weighing on his mind than a simple case of suspicion and jealousy. Things began falling into place. He needed to talk to Kagura.

* * *

He missed her at school. It annoyed him. 

Kagura had left early with Kagome, under the guise of getting ready for the dance when they really just wanted to skip P.E. and go home. Sango ditched with them, dance or not, which left him no ties with which to contact Kagura. He had no choice. He had to go to her home.

As soon as school was over, despite the newspaper meeting that only he would have attended anyway, Sesshomaru got into his car and drove to Kagura's house. There didn't seem to be anyone home, apart from the Sundance in the driveway. There were no arguing voices and hysterical ranting to suggest the twins were within radius, which made him glad. He didn't want an audience for what he wanted to talk about.

Quickly, quietly, he walked up the sidewalk and knocked on her door. When Kagura answered, she looked surprised to see him. Surprised happy, not surprised upset.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," he said seriously. By the tone, she nodded and let him inside.

"Sure, what's up?"

Picking up the pieces of her broken heart,

Makes me think of all the tears,

Makes me remember all the sleepless nights,

Makes me remember she was alive.

They say if you love something,

You should let it go,

So she let you go.

"Bankotsu and Jakotsu came to my house last night and told me about a conversation they overheard between Naraku and a few of the members of the football team," he told her, watching the information react on her face. So far, nothing. "Naraku said that he plans on attending the Homecoming dance tonight, in order to steal another man's date." There it was, the pinch of shock, the flash of guilt. It made the muscles in his stomach clench. "Why did you need a date to Homecoming, Kagura?"

She didn't answer. Couldn't, wouldn't answer. To answer would be to admit the selfish, greedy act. An act to meet a goal she no longer cared about.

You never came back to her,

Like all the old sayings go,

But she waited.

Looking back on those past years,

I pity the girl who lost her heart,

And found it shattered in her wake.

"You asked Kagome and Sango to find you a fall guy," he said, answering his own question. He used the same tone he would when solving a game of clue. Like Sherlock Holmes. All the pieces of the puzzle coming together to bring the picture into view. Kagome saying there would be no touching involved, the guilty faces, the avoidance of physical contact. "I was just the dupe," Sesshomaru sighed. "The Plan B. Arm candy you could waltz in with, flaunt for Naraku, and leave with him."

Kagura wouldn't meet his eyes, and felt shame flooding her. But at the same time, anger flowed, to hide the shame. Who was he to talk down to her? Who was he to judge? No one. Nothing.

"Ok, so I asked Kagome and Sango to find me a go-to guy, so what? It's not like we're picking out floor tile for our first apartment! It was just for a stupid dance."

"You used me," he said, voice deadly.

"I use a lot of people," she shot back. "It's part of being a journalist."

"Why him?"

"What does it matter? It's none of your business."

"_Why him_?"

"It doesn't matter," Kagura yelled, glaring at him.

"It matters to me," Sesshomaru told her, feeling the anger burn deep in his stomach. And something much worse growing just as fast. Pain. Rejection. Hurt.

I love the girl who waited,

In place of a love that would never come back.

I ache for the faithful girl,

Who found she was a faithful fool.

I sigh for the girl who lost,

Her innocence is gone from her.

I cry for the girl,

With the glass heart,

The splintered and cracked spirit.

"Why does it matter?" Kagura asked. "He's just a guy."

"No," Sesshomaru said, shaking his head with digest. "He's not just _some guy_."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it?" he asked, moving away from her. "You've got your own twisted little faerie tale. This is how the faerie tale always ends." He looked at her, looked straight into her eyes, and through her. There was a degree of sadness in the back of those impassive golden eyes that froze the blood in Kagura Hart. For the first time, she realized what she had done. "He's the prince, Kagura. And I'm just another frog."

With that said, Sesshomaru walked out of the house, into his car, and drove out of her life. Possibly forever.

In rational thought, she would have realized she'd see him every day until the end of school, and even extra for paper meetings.

But the way she saw it, she'd never see him again. Because even though she'd see him, it wouldn't be _him_. No more light conversation. No more half-smiles. No more crackers with Rin and conversation with Inuyasha over a game of Tekken. No more Sesshomaru. And her heart broke.

You said you loved her,

But it was a lie.

And it cut through her like a knife.

I no longer feel her pain,

I was the one to hold her,

When you were supposed to hold.

I was the one to soothe her,

When you were supposed to soothe.

I was the one to protect her,

When you were supposed to protect.

She could have run after him, thrown herself on the hood of his car, done something to stop him going, but it wouldn't have worked. He was as stubborn as he was brilliant, and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. She had let him down, she had hurt him, and it was all her fault.

Kagura didn't try to stop him, didn't even watch him drive away. All she did was climb the stairs, lay across her bed. A shoebox was sitting there, pictures and papers spread everywhere. Memories and reminders. Everything she had of her mother fit into that one shoebox. Memories of someone else who had left her. Someone else who had walked out the door and never come back.

She wouldn't let herself cry. Wouldn't let the pain come in. Couldn't let herself admit that it was done.

Now my little girl is gone from me,

Taken away on the angels' wings,

Gone where I can't follow.

They say if you love something,

Let it go,

She let you go.

And you found the happiness ,

She would never know.

No more can you apologize,

No longer can you torment her,

Her smiles can't reach you,

Her laughter is silenced,

Her love is ended.

First the tears began. Then the sniffling. Then the sobbing.

That was how Sango found her, curled up on her bed, clutching a piece of paper. That's how Kagome found her when Sango had called and she rushed next door. That was how the world would find her. Undone.

Kagura fully understood what she had done. She had begun with a plan to use someone to get what she wanted. In the end, she didn't want it anymore. She wanted what she couldn't have.

I pity the girl that loved you,

She never knew love before you,

She will never know love after you,

You broke her,

And she died calling your name.

I heard her last breath,

I felt her last sigh,

I watched the color leave her skin,

I held her in my arms,

When it was your place to hold.

I kissed her cheek,

When it was your place to kiss.

Kagura Hart had fallen in love with Sesshomaru Reaper. But all the happily-ever-afters in all the world wouldn't bring her true love back to her.

I pity the girl that died for you,

I cry for the girl that left me because of you,

I miss the girl that once loved you,

Because now there is no love left,

In the woman that I am.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out. Be heartened, my loyal readers. Only two more chapters to go before Unknown—the one you've all been waiting for. And it's already in production. Now, I want to break three hundred reviews for this chapter, so go Go GO!


	10. Love Knows No Bounds

**A/N:** And now for the climax! I really loved working on this story and I look forward to the sequels. Remember, after this comes _Unknown_, which is the Inu/Kag portion. Followed closely by _Unwanted_, the San/Miro finale. Thanks to all my loyal readers who have stuck with me though this story, and forgiven my irregular updates. There is an epilogue that will round out the story, but this is the last official chapter. Enjoy!

(On a side note, I want to address a few questions regarding the lyrics featured in the last post. It's a poem called "The Girl I Loved" that I wrote for a very dear friend of mine. I own it, so don't steal it. Thanks!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. (I do not own any songs by The Bravery, Eamon or Howie Day, either.) This is a story based on my ideas, my takes on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness, and what I believe is the true spirit of the characters if they were your everyday teenagers.

* * *

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

_Once upon a time there lived a girl,_

_Who wanted to find true love,_

_But it seems it was lost before truly found,_

_And how can one cure a broken heart…_

* * *

Broken. 

Broken heart, broken spirit. Just broken.

How could one person screw up so badly? How could one person ruin the best thing they never had?

"God really hates me," Kagura whimpered. The worst of her tears had passed. Now, there was only silent weeping. The last few tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as she lay in her bed, her head pillowed on Sango's lap. Kagome sat beside them, stroking Kagura's hair, her arm, her back, soothingly. Like a mother would comfort a small child.

"Even if God existed," Sango said with a sigh, "there is no way he would hate someone like you."  
"After what I did," she sniffled, "I would hate me too."

"Don't say that, Kagura," Kagome said quickly, seriously. "You made a mistake. People are allowed to make mistakes."

"Not when they hurt other people," she cried, curling into herself again, feeling a sob start in her chest. "Not when he'll never speak to me again."

"Oh, he'll talk to you again," Sango swore, "or I'll beat his ass."

A watery chuckle was her response. Sango felt her own heart breaking, seeing Kagura in such a state. Her stepsister was always so sarcastic and strong, always a rock in the face of everything. Sure, she was only human and had her down points, but Kagura… Kagura was her big sister, and it hurt to see her in pain. It was hard to know what to do without Kagura to back her up. It was hard to know what to do to help the very person who always looked after her.

"Really," Kagome said confidently. "He'll talk to you again. Whether he wants to or not, he'll do it."

"Why?" Kagura sniffed, shifting redder-than-usual eyes to her neighbor.

"Because he loves you," Kagome smiled. "And with love you have no choice."

"It's not like that with us," Kagura protested. "We've never even kissed, let alone said the 'L' word to each other."

"Just because you haven't said it doesn't mean it's not true," she stated, taking Kagura's hands in her own. "I know Sesshomaru, and I know you. And I have never seen either of you happier than when you were together. It's not a coincidence and it's not an illusion. That is the very illusive thing called love."

"You certainly know a lot," Kagura said after a while.

"I read smut," Kagome grinned. "I had to have picked up something along the way."

Kagura snorted a little and, with Sango's help, sat up on her bed. She brushed away the tears from her face and took a few steadying breathes. Somehow, having the two of them there made her feel better. Hopeful. Like maybe… things would get better. As long as her friends stood by her, she could bear the loss of someone else she loved.

"Does this mean you're done with the tears?" Sango asked, using the back of her hand to swipe some moisture from her stepsister's chin.

"Yes," Kagura nodded, sliding a hand through her hair.

"Good," Kagome grinned, hopping off the bed. "Time to get ready for the dance."

"What!" Both Kagura and Sango looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "How can you think of going to a dance at a time like this?"

"No just me," she replied. "Kagura too."

"_What_?" Kagura balked, her voice going up an octave. "I'm not going to Homecoming _now_."

"Yes you are," her neighbor replied stubbornly. "I didn't sew another primo dress for you to just give up at the first sign of trouble."

"Kags…" Sango warned, looking uneasy. Even she had no idea what her friend was playing at.

Kagome kneeled in front of Kagura, taking her hands again. Blue eyes met ruby seriously, and kindly. She spoke to Kagura alone. No tricks, no lies. "Do you love him?"

It took the other girl off guard. She floundered for a minute, trying to gain her footing. "I don't know," Kagura lied. She was afraid to say it out loud. It would only make it real, and make it hurt more.

"Do you love him? Yes or no," Kagome persisted. "It's not hard."

"Kagome…" Her face was pained and her voice was pleading. She didn't want to answer this. She couldn't face it.

"Do you?" Kagome pressed Kagura's hands to her own chest, to her own heart. "Whatever else is going on, no matter what's in your head, no matter how scared you are, just be honest with yourself. Do you love him?"

Kagura was silent for a long time, thinking. Reflecting. Part of her was still afraid, still wanting to hide her feelings. Still wanting to run away from everything, especially the truth.

It's said that everything heals with time, but it was a lie. When you lose a parent, that pain never goes away. The void will never be filled. Kagura was only five years old, and the pain still lingered with her. For so many years she had built a wall around her heart that kept everyone at bay.

Never letting anyone get close protected her from that pain again. Never letting one in kept her from being disappointed, from being hurt. But, without her even noticing, people slipped past her defenses. Without her noticing, she began to care. And now, she felt the pain of that caring, of that love.

Beyond the pain, dwelling deep within her heart, she felt the happiness that grew from her opening her heart again. Kagura had learned to love again, and even if that love brought her pain and left its scars, she was happy.

She wouldn't be scared anymore.

"Yes," Kagura whispered.

"Huh?" Sango asked, leaning forward intently.

"Yes," Kagura repeated, louder and more confident. She met Kagome's gaze, then Sango's. "I love him. I really, really do."

Kagome grinned. "Then we've got to get you to that dance, Cinderella!"

"Huzzah!" Sango whooped, hopping to her feet. "I feel like a faerie godmother."

"If faerie godparents had blue hair," Kagura commented. Then she shook her head, pulling her hands away from Kagome's hold. "I can't go to the dance."

"Why not? You have a ticket, a dress. All you're missing is—"

"—a date?" she supplied. Then she smiled.

"So what?" Sango said with a frown. "Go stag. It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

"No, not really," Kagura nodded. In the long run, her pride meant nothing in the face of Sesshomaru forgiving her.

"Perfect," Kagome nodded. She looked to Sango. "I trust you can get her dressed, pressed, and to the school by seven?"

"Just leave it to me," Sango grinned. "I'm Faerie for a day."

Kagome beamed. "Perfect. I'll see you then."

"Kagome!" Kagura called, grabbing her elbow. "Where are you going?"

"Well, _someone's_ gotta get Sesshomaru to show up, right?" She winked. "I can be very convincing. Don't worry."

Kagura let her go and Kagome hurried out, to her own house. Though she knew her neighbor was on an important mission, she still felt slightly abandoned. What if she couldn't get him to come? What if… No. She'd spent too much of her time thinking about what-if's and could-be's. No. Tonight, if never again, tonight if nothing else, she would be brave.

"Shall we get started?" Sango asked, grinning like a five-year-old on Christmas morning. Kagura felt a tiny trickle of fear.

"You're not… gonna dye my hair orange or anything, right?"

"Aw, don't you trust me?" Sango pouted.

"About as far as I can throw you."

"Seriously."

Kagura sighed. "I trust you."

"Perfect!"

The sadistic light in Sango's eyes made Kagura nervous again. "I swear… I don't go for the dying of things… "

Sango giggled. "No. That would be mean. I'm just here to coordinate and prepare one stunning vision of Kagura… ness."

Kagura ran a hand through her hair, grinning. "Sango, you're such a funny girl."

Her stepsister smiled back. "I know. Now you go take a shower. I'll take care of the rest!"

Kagura chuckled her way to the bathroom. Sango, true to her word, had everything pressed and laid out by the time Kagura was back. In record time, Sango had her dressed, primped, and ready for the dance. Now it was only a matter of whether Kagome could convince Sesshomaru to be there.

* * *

Kagome threw her make-up bag and dress in the trunk of her mother's car. Quickly, she dialed Hojo's number on her cell as she climbed into the driver's seat. Her mother had agreed to let her borrow the car, since it was an emergency. 

"Hello?" He picked up on the first ring.

"Hojo, it's Kagome," she said hurriedly, straining to look behind her as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Kagome? What's the matter?"

"Listen, something's come up," she explained. "I'm running late. Could I meet you at the dance instead of you picking me up here?"

"What happened?" he asked, sounding a little miffed.

"I forgot something important. I have to run out so I might not be here if you come over."

He was silent for a moment, and Kagome knew he'd be angry with her. But it couldn't be helped. "When do you want to meet me?"

"Seven-thirty?" she asked, looking at her watch. Was an hour long enough to convince a stoic newspaper geek to admit that he was in love? Could she even get it done? Shaking her head, she concentrated on the road. There was no time for doubts. She couldn't give an inch.

"Fine. See you then."

He hung up; so did she. There was no time to worry about him either. Right now was about Kagura and Sesshomaru, two people she cared a lot about, and she would help them. No matter what. Come hell or high water. Do or die.

But she couldn't help feeling completely helpless as she pulled into the Reaper driveway. She had come here many times in the past two years, for the sake of karate carpool, but she had never been inside. And hardly ever made it to the door either. Rin was usually waiting, or drawn out by a single blast of the car horn. Now, she had to go to the door and push her way in if she had to. There was no helping it. She had to get to Sesshomaru.

Kagome left her car parked in the front, keys in the ignition, supplies in the truck, as she raced for the door. She was hampered for a split second when her arm was tangled in the seatbelt, but soon she was off and running again.

Rin answered the door, as Kagome had anticipated. Despite the money the Reaper's had, they didn't employ a butler or servant of a door-opening nature. Maids, pool cleaners, and the occasional cook, but other than that, they were a self-sufficient family. And Rin loved opening the door.

"Kagome!" she grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Sesshomaru," the older girl responded with a smile. She patted Rin on the head in an affectionate way. "Is he here?"

"Yup," Rin nodded, worry creasing her face. "He stormed in about an hour ago and locked himself in his study. He won't answer when I knock and he keeps blaring really bad music."

The corner of Kagome's mouth quirked up at that. "Can you show me? I really need to talk to him."

"Sure!" Rin grabbed Kagome's hand and lead her up the stairs to the second floor, then down the hall to the study. All the while, Kagome glanced around her. Still, the glamour of the lavish home didn't sway her from her task.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin called, knocking on a hard wood door. "Kagome is here for you!"

"Go away," came a reply from within, followed by a very loud power ballad.

Kagome sighed and turned to the little girl beside her. "I can take it from here, Rin." Rin nodded, looking sad. "But," Kagome added, crouching down to be at eye-level with the other girl. "You could do me a _huge_ favor."

"What?" Rin asked, already grinning.

"I left a few things in the trunk of my car. Could you be a super good girl and get them for me?"

"Naturally," was the reply. Kagome smiled, poking Rin gently on the nose. Then she scampered off to do Kagome's wishes.

Meanwhile, Kagome straightened herself and pounded on the door. "Sesshomaru, open up!"

"Go… Away… " came from within.

"I swear to God, I will break this door down if I have to!" Kagome threatened. "Just talk to me."

"Don't you think you've done _enough_?"

"Not yet I haven't. Just let me in." He was quiet, the music shifting to an angry R&B rhythm. That's when Kagome lost her infinite patience. "Stop acting like a spoiled little boy! Let me in this minute!"

The door opened and Sesshomaru towered over her. His eyes were angry, but the rest of him remained impassive. Kagome pushed him inside with all her might and closed the door behind them. "We're going to talk, right now," she said, stomping her foot.

"Who is calling whom spoiled?" was his icy response.

"Can it," she said warningly.

_Fuck what I said, it don't mean shit now; Fuck all the presents, might as well throw them out; Fuck all those kisses, they didn't mean jack; Fuck you, you ho, I don't want you back…_

Growling, she stamped over to his computer and turned off the blaring music. When she was done, her eyes flickered to him, still giving her a wilting look by the doorway. "I wasn't aware you were an Eamon fan," she stated, then came around the front of the desk.

"Kagome," he sighed, "go home."

"No," she refused, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not until this is resolved."

"It _is_ resolved. Whatever your plans were, I ended them. Plain and simple."

"This is not plain," Kagome denied. "It's complicated as hell. And if it were so damn simple, Kagura wouldn't have been crying her eyes out and you wouldn't have locked yourself in here for the past hour."

"What do you want from me?" he asked, eyes flashing with danger. Kagome stood her ground, unafraid. "She made a fool out of me."

"You're doing that for yourself," she shot back.

"She _played _me!"

"Are you even _listening_ to yourself? She _played_ you?" Kagome walked over to him, holding out her hands imploringly.

"You knew about this," he suddenly accused, taking a step away from her. It was like another lash from a whip. "You _knew_ what she was doing. You helped set it up. I trusted you!"

"We didn't set you up to get hurt," Kagome yelled back in his face. "We didn't do anything wrong. People are allowed to make mistakes."

"Not like this!"

"Are you telling me the great and powerful Sesshomaru Reaper has never, in his entire life, made a mistake?"

He glared at her, a look of such malice it would strike the blood of any other cold. Kagome Higurashi didn't budge an inch. She had faced down much worse than even he had to offer. Then, suddenly, her anger cracked and she gave him a look of such painful empathy, he reeled back in shock.

"What are you looking at me like that for!" he demanded, feeling heat creep up his neck. This was no good; he never blushed.

"It must have hurt you so much," she said, her fires banked. Sesshomaru gave her an appraising look, thinking she might have just changed her tactics, but Kagome was genuine. And he could guess the reason for it.

"This isn't the same thing," he began.

"No, it is. It really is. You feel like she cheated. She betrayed your trust, your feelings. And so did I." He was horrified to see tears welling in her blue eyes.

"Kagome, don't look like that," he sighed, covering his face with a hand. Guilt gnawed at him. "I just… I don't understand… why you would do something like this."

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way," she argued, swiping at her eyes. "You weren't supposed to find out about Kagura's plan because there wasn't supposed to _be_ a plan."

He blinked at her, at a loss. "What?"

Kagome sighed, massaging her temples. "She asked us to help her get a date for Homecoming, so she could get Naraku to notice her and all. She's had this crush on him for a while, and it wasn't supposed to hurt anyone. But me and Sango, we knew that Naraku would only hurt her because that's what he does. So then we decided to get her a _real_ date. Someone she'd like, who'd like her, and this wouldn't end up in tears."

"Looks like it backfired on you."

"I know," she sniffed. "It was supposed to be easy. She loves you, you love her. You guys are _so_ perfect for one another, and what's between you is real."

"Was," he said firmly as he turned from her. "What _was_ between us. Not anymore."

"Why?" Kagome asked. "Why can't you just hear what she has to say?"

"Are you her messenger?" he asked in disgust. "Send Kagome to do her dirty work?"

"No. I'm here, on my own. You have to go to the dance."

"Homecoming! You still expect me to go to?"

"Come with me," Kagome begged, grabbing him again. "Listen to what she has to say. Please. Just give her the chance to explain."

"No," he said, brushing her hands away. Still, he felt his resolve weakening.

"Kagome!" Rin called, coming in the door. "I got your stuff." Rin walked in, a small bag in one hand and a dress bag in the other.

"Thank you," Kagome replied, smiling. She took her belongings from the girl and turned to Sesshomaru. "I'm going to get ready. _Please_ come with me."

"I can't," he told her.

"But why not?" Rin asked. "When you're close to someone, you won't feel better until you fix things."

"Rin," Sesshomaru said, looking at his sister. "We're not close."

"I don't think that's true," she said with all the wisdom that a child can possess—which is a lot. "Fighting is a sign of a good relationship. When you're close to someone, you know how best to hurt them. At least, that's what I see when I watch you and Inuyasha, and even Mommy and Daddy."

Sesshomaru looked at her with wide eyes. "I… "

"Come with me," Kagome said again, smiling now. "And you'll find out for yourself."

* * *

"Are you sure you won't come in with me?" Kagura asked, wringing her hands on her lap. 

"Can't," Sango smiled. "No ticket."

"I could really use you there," Kagura sighed. "This is… the most important thing I've ever done."

"Then you don't need me there," her stepsister said. "You can do this yourself."

"Can I?" Ruby eyes pleaded. "Can I face him, after what I've done? Can I explain it? Will he forgive me?"

"Win or lose, you've got me," Sango said, taking Kagura's hand in her own. "But I think you'll win. Know why?" Kagura shook her head. "I did such a fucking _great_ job on you, no man will be able to resist."

Kagura laughed, feeling her tension leave for a moment. "Oh Sango, you're the best."

"What's a sister for?"

She didn't say it. She didn't say "step". Kagura was overcome with a foreign emotion and suddenly leaned across the front seat of the car, embracing Sango hard.

"Kagura, you're going to wrinkle your dress," Sango warned.

"So I'll be wrinkled," she said with a sigh. Sango smiled and returned the embrace. Then she pulled back and smiled again.

"It's do or die time."

Kagura nodded. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it," Sango assured her. With a less-than-sure nod, Kagura was walking toward the school, toward the dance, and hopefully, toward the man she loved. Sango watched with butterflies in her stomach, hoping with everything in her that Kagura could find her true love.

"Hey Sango," a voice came from her driver's side window. Turning, she saw Inuyasha and Miroku lurking around the parking lot. "Didn't know you were coming."

Sango smiled up, leaning out her window. Both boys were dressed all in black, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the black hats in their hands were ski masks. "Didn't know you guys were going to hit a 7-Eleven."

"Hardly," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "We're just about to go in on our Homecoming prank."

"Do tell, Master Grimm," she responded, perking. He leaned into her window and whispered a plan into her ears. "You aren't!" she gasped, grinning.

"We are," he assured her.

"And we'll do more than that," Miroku said evilly. "We'll offer you an in."

"'In'? As in, you're inviting me to help you with criminal acts?" They both nodded. She was touched. "Wish I could guys, but I've got other plans."

"Plans?" Miroku asked. "As in something better than this?"

"Not better," Sango told him, "just different." He genuinely looked crestfallen, and she was sorry for it, but duty called before frolicking fun. "Next time," she promised.

"Sure," he shrugged. "Come on, Grimm. We've got work to do."

"Chill, Demon," Inuyasha said while rolling his eyes. "See ya, Sango."

"Bye," she waved as they scampered off into the near-darkness. Then she parked her car nearby and put _her_ plan into action.

And even as she parked, Inuyasha and Miroku out their own plans into action. "Dude," Inuyasha said to his partner in crime, "what's with the 'tude to Sango?"

"You heard her," Miroku told him. "She has _plans_."

"So?"

"Obviously it means she has a date."

Inuyasha snickered. "Wow, you really are a jealous fuck, aren't you?"

Miroku glared at his friend. "I don't want to hear it from you."

"Demon, just because she has plans doesn't mean she's off with another guy."

"You think so?" Suddenly, Miroku's hostility was gone. Inuyasha grinned at him.

"It's obvious she likes you. If she didn't, you'd be in the hospital by now."

"You know what… you're right!"

* * *

"Hojo! What's the deal, guy? Where's your date?" 

Hojo Montgomery walked over to the refreshment table, dapper in his tux, but looking very unhappy. "She's meeting me here. Forgot something. You know how women are."

Naraku stood by the punch bowl, along with a few other football players. They enjoyed their Homecoming dance from the sidelines. The music was blaring, people were dancing; it had just started full swing and people were arriving fast. The school gym was decorated with green crap paper and streamers. Banners rooting the Fighting Frogs to victory hung on the walls. Green and white balloons were strewn about the floor, among confetti and other handmade decorations supplied by the Student Council.

"Do I ever," Naraku agreed, handing a glass to the star player. "Drink up! We added a little kick to our fruit juice."

Kouga, who was serving the punch that evening, had no idea he was ladling out alcohol, but a teacher would find out soon enough. Then the others would have a good laugh at his expense. Like every other Homecoming since the beginning of the tradition.

They talked, laughed, made fun of others, and drank happily for nearly half an hour. Then one of the others, a kicker named Carmine, pointed out someone coming inside. "Hey Naraku, isn't that the girl you're aiming for tonight?"

Turning, Naraku saw Kagura enter the school gym. The dress she wore, Kagome's dress, accented not only her shape, but her height as well. The red dragon blazed up her side, the same ruby red as her eyes. Her hair was cut short, held in a tail on the side of her head. It was one of Sango's ideas, and it turned out wonderfully. Her make-up was immaculate. A vision, if ever there was one. It was almost surprising that Kagura, a gothic poet who took more to faded green army jackets and black jeans, could clean up into such a gem.

"Yes," Naraku grinned, a lustful light entering his eye. "That's her."

Kagura was gazing around the gym, looking for someone. Her eyes rested on Naraku for a moment and he smiled, but then her eyes moved on. It frazzled his pride for a moment, since he had always gotten the impression that she liked him. "Wish me luck, boys," he said with a wink to them. Then he strode forward into the crowd, toward Kagura.

He wasn't there. It was the first thing that came into her mind and it rang like an echo. He wasn't there. He wasn't coming. Sesshomaru would never speak to her again. Her stomach felt like lead and her hands were shaking. Still, she refused to cry here, in the middle of all these people, and ruin the make-up that Sango had so meticulously applied. She had looked all over the crowded gym and found a million and one people who didn't matter. Naraku didn't matter, not anymore. Only Sesshomaru matter now.

_Be calm_, she told herself. Kagome wasn't there either, which meant there was still a chance.

"Hey there," someone said from behind. She recognized the voice, and it was not the one she wanted to hear.

"Hello, Naraku," she responded with a smile. "How are you tonight?"

"Good, and yourself?" he asked, smiling charmingly and gazing her over.

Kagura felt slightly annoyed and continued scanning the area over his shoulders. "I'm alright, I guess."

"Looking for someone?" he asked, moving to block her line of vision.

"Yeah," she said absently. "Please excuse me." She moved away from him, moving to the doorway. Naraku, for the first time in his life, was left standing there, mouth hanging open, at a total loss as to what went wrong.

"Smooth," Hojo laughed when Naraku walked back to the refreshment table, proverbial tail between his legs.

Naraku was thinking up some nasty comment to make to the quarterback when the perfect joke walked into the gym. He grinned sadistically. "Oh Hojo, isn't that your girlfriend?"

Turning, Hojo saw Kagome walk into the room, on the arm of Sesshomaru Reaper. Then all he saw was red as he stomped toward them.

"Ok," Kagome whispered to Sesshomaru. "She's here somewhere. Find her, and just listen to her. Five minutes. If you still want to leave, I will personally take you home."

Sesshomaru looked at his petite escort. She looked more like a faerie princess, dressed in pale blue and glitter, than the normal Kagome. "Are you sure?"

"You have my word," Kagome said, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. Sesshomaru took a deep breath and headed into the crowd. "Good luck," Kagome breathed, before a hand clamped around her elbow and jerked her around. "Hojo!"

"Forgot something?" he asked her, fire in his eyes.

"Sesshomaru needed a ride," Kagome said, wincing slightly as he tightened his grip on her arm. "He's Kagura's date, not mine."

"You're lying," Hojo told her.

"No I'm not," Kagome told him. "Hojo, I swear I'm not lying. Sesshomaru and Kagura are a couple. I just gave him a ride, that's all."

"I don't know what to believe, Kagome," he told her frankly. "You lie to me about working and go to Serpentine with your friends. You never have time to spend with me. Then you show up at the dance with another guy?"

"Hojo, you're hurting me," Kagome told him, clawing at his hand. He released her arm. "I swear, nothing is going on. I wouldn't do that to you." He looked uncertain, so Kagome put her arms around his neck. "You know me. I would never cheat on you."

He sighed, then leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry I got mad. I'm just so crazy about you, sweetheart."

"I know," Kagome answered.

"You're the most important person to me," he told her.

"I know."

"I love you, Kagome."

"I know."

And even as they made up beside the entrance, Sesshomaru moved further into the gym, looking around. He spotted her not far from the stage where the DJ was perched. Her back was against the wall, her face in her hands, but he still knew it was her. He would always know it was her, because that's just the way it was when you were in love. He would know her from a million other women, always.

As he moved through the crowd toward her, the music abruptly ended and the shrill ring of a microphone took the air. The DJ, a man in his late twenties, stood and looked out into the crowd. "Excuse me, everyone," he apologized. "I'm proud to present to you, some live entertainment."

All eyes in the gym turned toward the stage as a melody filled the air, a mixture of rock and techno. Then a familiar voice spread through the speakers. "_People, they don't mean a thing to you. They move right through you, just like your breath. But sometimes, I still think of you, and I just wanted you to know. Just wanted you to know, my old friend… I swear I never meant for this. I never meant_…"

"Sango," Kagome laughed, clapping her hands together from beside Hojo at the refreshment table.

"Sango," Kagura whispered, tears in her eyes, as her stepsister suddenly bounded on to the stage. She was dressed in an outfit of tight black jeans, her tight lime-green tank top, and a black mesh shirt. Her hair was up, some braided, some not, streaked again with bright green. Her make-up was the same. The perfect picture of a punk Frogs fan.

"_Don't look at me that way_," she sang, hopping and dancing around the stage to the music. "_It was an honest mistake. Don't look at me that way, it was an honest mistake. An honest mistake_!"

She crouched low, acting sad and broken-hearted. "_Sometimes, I forget I'm still awake. I fuck up, and say these things out loud. My old friend… I swear I never meant for this. I never meant_…" Then she bounced up again, moving along. Anger, sadness, emotion carried along on the music. "_Don't look at me that way, it was an honest mistake. Don't look at me that way, it was an honest mistake. An honest mistake_!"

Sesshomaru had reached Kagura by the second chorus. She looked from Sango to him and her eyes widened. It wasn't from surprise or shock, because she had felt him coming up beside her. It was because of the look her was giving her. That wounded puppy look, or at least, as much of a wounded puppy look as Sesshomaru could give.

"_Don't look at me that way, it was an honest mistake. Don't look at me that way, it was an honest mistake! An honest mistake…" _Sango held her final note for a long breath, then finished her song with a grin, throwing up her hands and accepting the applause with a panting smile. Kagome whistled from the back, hooting her enjoyment.

"Come with me a minute," Sesshomaru told Kagura, offering her his hand. She slipped hers into his and allowed him to lead her out into the hallway, away from the blaring music and howling crowd. Once they were alone, he dropped her hand but didn't turn to face her. "Kagome convinced me to come," he said by way of explanation. "But this isn't an act of forgiveness. This is just me wanting to understand the reason why I was made into your fool."

"It wasn't like that," Kagura said in a shaking whisper. "It wasn't supposed to be like _this_."

"Then how was it supposed to be?" he asked, turning to her. "Have your fill of me, then leave me standing here like a dick while you go off and have your fun with _him_?" He swore, something he never did, and tugged on the collar of his tux. "You humiliated me."

Kagura didn't look at him. Her head was down, her hands clenched at her sides, as tears ran down her cheeks. They dripped black to the floor. Proof of running mascara. "Yes," she said tightly, her voice high from tears. "In the beginning, I wanted to find a date so I could catch his attention. Make him like me. But then Kagome and Sango brought you to me, and I spent so much time with you… and… and… "

"And what?" As much as he wanted to hang on to it, his anger was ebbing.

Kagura looked up at him, her eyes as open and honest as he could ever see them. "He didn't matter anymore." She wiped the tears from her face, smudging more. "The only thing that mattered was you, and how I felt about you." She looked to the ground again. "I used you, and it was horrible of me. And I completely understand if you never want to speak to me again." She sniffed deeply. "I don't expect you to forgive me."

"Why should I?" he asked. But there wasn't any anger in his tone. No accusation. Just a question. He had moved a little closer to her and cupped a hand under her chin, making Kagura meet his eyes. "Give me one reason."

Kagura's heart was in her throat, in her eyes. She knew the most important reason, the only reason. But for all the vastness of the words, they meant nothing if the one they were for didn't have them. To hell with pride, with playing it safe. You always had to take risks with love; isn't that what her father always said? This was her big risk.

"I love you," she told him. Not a whisper, not a shout. A normal voice, a normal phrase. The only way to say it, from the heart. From the soul. Ripe with expectation and hope.

"Is that the answer?" Sesshomaru asked her. Kagura's heart plummeted.

"It's all I can give—"

And she never had to finish the statement. Sesshomaru bent his head and took her mouth swiftly. Kagura was momentarily shocked out of her mind, but it only took a second for her eyes to fill and her arms to find their way around his neck. It only took a second more to respond. And a second more after that to say it again.

* * *

Sango sat on the edge of the stage, checking her microphone, when Kagome came up to her. The first thing her friend did was not congratulate her, but to sock her on the arm. 

"Minx," Kagome laughed. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"It was a surprise," Sango smiled.

"How did you manage?"

"I called in a favor," Sango tossed a look over her shoulder. Diego, the DJ from Serpentine, waved from his post. Kagome grinned and waved back. "I've got another song. Have you seen Kagura and Sesshomaru?"

"They went into the hallway a few minutes ago," Kagome said, wringing her hands worriedly. "I hope it works out."

"I think it did," Sango grinned, watching the doorway. "They just walked in!"

Kagome turned and gleefully squealed as she saw them, arm in arm, walk on to the dance floor. Like any other couple in love at Homecoming that night. And just like that, the evil in the air was gone. "Oh, this is so romantic!"

"I think it's time for a little mood music," Sango grinned. "See you in a bit, Kag." The singer pointed to Diego, who winked, and set a new CD on. A slow guitar melody began playing. Sango, holding the microphone close, began her heartfelt ballad.

"_The dawn is breaking, a light shining through. You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you. Yeah_." Diego provided backup with his own mini-mic. "_I'm open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face light up again. Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find, you and I collide_."

Kagome went to Hojo and literally had to drag him on to the dance floor with her. He wasn't much of a dancer, but she just _had_ to dance to this song. Kagura and Sesshomaru had no such problems as they waltzed together, in their own world. As it should be.

"_I'm quiet you know. You make a first impression. I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind. Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time, I somehow find, you and I collide_."

Sango swayed, caught up in the song. Her rich voice flowed through the people listening, filling them with her emotions from the song. Filling them with music. That was Sango's way, and her gift. "_Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills your mind, you finally find, you and I collide. You finally find, you and I collide. You finally find, you and I collide_."

When the song died down and the dancers broke apart, everyone clapped for Sango. She bowed and made her way off stage. As she did so, there was suddenly a loud noise from the other side of the gym. Already knowing what it was, she quickly scrambled for cover. Without any warning, the fire sprinklers in the gymnasium were turned on.

Mass panic filled the gym as girls screamed and tried to save their dresses from ruin. Boys fought to save their dates. Everyone hurried for the parking lot.

…Only to find that the handles of every car were filled with peanut butter. The chunky kind. And across the hood of Hojo's car, which was a car that was impossible to miss because of his namesake license plate, 'Go Fighting Frogs' was written in neon green spray paint. Panic turned to rage.

Sango was laughing earnestly when she walked up beside Kagome on the sidewalk. Her car was untouched. The best friends looked at one another. "You knew about this?" Kagome asked.

"I have a few deviant friends," Sango grinned. "I'll help you with the peanut butter on your car."

"Thanks. I think I'll be finding my own way home." They both looked to Hojo who was in a full-blown frenzy over his car. Then they both fell into a fit of giggles.

Sesshomaru and Kagura stood farther away, shaking the water off their clothes. Kagura laughed happily at the prank, taking it in stride. "My make-up was already ruined," she smiled.

"This stinks of my brother," he replied, looking at her with annoyance. Kagura knew it wasn't directed at her and her smile broadened.

"Aw, come on. It was funny."

"Not really."

"Not even when my sisters dove under the refreshment table and Naraku got doused in punch?"

"It was… mildly amusing," he sighed.

"There you go," Kagura smiled at him. There was no tension, no awkward pauses. All the darkness was banished. As long as she could be near the person that she loved, she would be happy.

Sesshomaru just looked at her. It was his signature look, where you could never tell what he was thinking. Kagura used to be annoyed by it, but now, she found it kind of novel. Because she knew whenever he put that up, he was thinking of something witty to say.

In the end, he didn't say anything at all. He just leaned forward and kissed her. Kagura happily obliged, her arms going around him and her head tilting up to accommodate his height. His kiss wasn't as brutal as she might have thought it would be. Like everything about him, it was sophisticated and thoughtful. He tried to memorize her, internalized every contour of her mouth, for later contemplation.

"I've waited to long to do that," Sesshomaru sighed against her mouth. His breath was warm, like his body against hers.

"Was it good for you?" she asked with a shaky laugh. She wondered if a person could get drunk off of kissing. Or maybe dizzy from lack of air.

He placed a thumb against her lips as he looked into her eyes. Ruby and gold, a match made in Heaven. "One of these days, someone will have to curb that wicked tongue of yours."

"Only you, Sesshomaru," she promised. A vow to the only man she had ever loved. Her arms tightened around him and she offered her mouth to him again. "Always you."

* * *

**A/N:** Ok! (Sappy ending, I know...) After this, there is the epilogue, and then it's on to Unknown! I know most of you have been panting for that story for months, sorry. (I'm really happy I, just about, finished this story in one year!) The epilogue will wrap up some loose ends from this story and begin the carry-over into the next one. Please remember to review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	11. Loving the Aftermath

**A/N:** The promised epilogue. Now that this is finished, it means I'll be starting _Unknown_, the long-awaited Inu/Kag portion of my trilogy. I know a lot of you are rabid for it, so please bear with me. I hope you all enjoyed this story, I know I did! (I have been transformed into a HUGE Kagura/Sesshomaru supporter thanks to this story.) Don't forget to check out my new venture _Wish Fulfillment_, if you're tired of waiting for Inu/Kag action. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or anything there in. I own quite a few ideas, a novella I'm trying to publish, and the idea for my first novel! (I don't own any of the songs Sango sings either. They are songs I have very proudly pirated off the internet.)

* * *

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 11**

**

* * *

**

_**What is love?** _

An editorial by **Kagura Hart**

* * *

What is love? No, it's not just a song title. Love is something that the human species has agonized over for generations. Since the beginning of time. Love is the strangest of all our emotions. Some people say that it's just a chemical reaction that is interpreted by your brain to see one or several individuals as special. Something unique in your eyes. Others believe love to be the quintessential. Something we search for our entire lives. The thing to make us complete. 

A short while ago, had anyone asked me, I would have told you that love was a burning desire to make myself known to someone who couldn't see me. That love was a kind of admiration so deep you would be blind to the people you hurt in attempts to receive the same feeling. A few weeks ago, love was merely an illusion because I had never truly allowed myself to love. But there are some people in this world that just beg to be loved, that are just so wonderful in what they do and who they are, that a person can't help but love them with all one's heart and soul.

I know three such individuals, and because of them, because of the love I have for them, I can become a better person.

* * *

What is love? No, it's not just a song title. Love is something that the human species has agonized over for generations. Since the beginning of time. Love is the strangest of all our emotions. Some people say that it's just a chemical reaction that is interpreted by your brain to see one or several individuals as special. Something unique in your eyes. Others believe love to be the quintessential. Something we search for our entire lives. The thing to make us complete. What is love? No, it's not just a song title. Love is something that the human species has agonized over for generations. Since the beginning of time. Love is the strangest of all our emotions. Some people say that it's just a chemical reaction that is interpreted by your brain to see one or several individuals as special. Something unique in your eyes. Others believe love to be the quintessential. Something we search for our entire lives. The thing to make us complete. 

The sun, burning high and clear above the suburban driveway, brought little warmth to the occupant pacing the length of concrete. She hugged herself in her army jacket, both for insulation and out of aggravation at the small green car in front of her.

"I swear to the Gods," Kagura grumbled. "I am selling this hunk of junk."

"You always say that," Kagome laughed from where she sat on the wooden fence. Her legs hung from the middle rung, and Kagura marveled at how she could still wear a skirt in this weather.

"I mean it this time!" the writer growled. "This is the last time I get it fixed."

"Shouldn't I be the one to say that?" Sango laughed, coming up for air. Her face was streaked with grease, her hair hanging in her face, and she looked lovely. "I'm the one always fixing it."

"That's only out of your divine love for me," Kagura said with a kind of haughty knowledge.

"True," Sango nodded, then she smiled and went back to fixing the car. "It'll be ready in a minute. You were leaking oil."

"Of course I was," her sister sighed. "Next thing you know, I'll be driving down the highway and the engine will fall out."

"Don't say that," Kagome warned. "Or it might happen. You know, karma and all that stuff." She proceeded to knock on wood.

Kagura simply glared at the pair of them before plopping down on the driveway. "So, what time are we leaving for Serpentine tonight?"

"Eight," Kagome replied.

"I'm stoked," Sango added. She shut the hood of the car and wiped her hands off on a rag. "The annual Serpentine Halloween Party looks to be the best so far."

"So we're told," Kagome amended. "Last year's was horrible. The music was bad, the patrons were evil, and there was so much pot smoke in the air it burnt the inside of your nostrils." She wrinkled her nose for emphasis.

"But this year, Diego is in charge," Sango said with a smile. "Which guarantees great music and a comfortable atmosphere. Plus, candy!"

"The purpose of Halloween," Kagura nodded with a smile.

Originally, she had opted to man the candy door as she had every year since she was fourteen, when she had stopped trick-or-treating. But this year, Kagome and Sango had roped her into going to the annual Halloween party with her. She didn't put of that much of a fight, considering her unofficial boyfriend would also be in attendance. And of course, there was the bitching costume Kagome had helped her make just sitting in her bedroom, begging to be worn. And maybe Kagura just wanted an excuse to party with her friends. Because who didn't want to party with their friends?

"You're playing Mommy tonight, Kags?" she asked her friend, coming over to lean on the fence.

"Taking the boys out trick-or-treating for a while," Kagome nodded. "Rin is coming over to come with us. Mom gets off work at seven, so then I can pretty myself and we can party."

"And I'm going too," Sango piped up, hopping up to straddle the fence. Then she turned to Kagome. "So, what's your costume again?"

"Ha! I'm not telling. It's a secret."

"Aw, Kagome," Sango whined. "You know what me and Kagura are going as!"

"That's only because I had to help you make them," Kagome grinned. "I swear Sango St. John, you can fix a car better than anyone, but the day you find your way around a sewing machine is the day I build a Chevy with my bare hands."

Kagura snickered. "She's got you there."

"She had to help you too!" Sango shot back, not really offended at all.

"That's only because I was working so hard on my article! If I had more time, I could have done it myself."

"How did the article come out?" Kagome asked, tactfully changing subjects.

"Sesshomaru was dazzled, appropriately," Kagura smile proudly. "I think it's my most honest work."

"Of course your _boyfriend_ would be dazzled," Sango laughed. "He wouldn't get any if he mocked it."

Kagura snorted. "I respect his opinion, so he'd get some either way."

"Kagura, you're such a wicked girl," Kagome laughed.

"Seriously, he liked it, and I'm glad."

"Then Sango and I look forward to reading it," the pretty neighbor girl replied with a smile.

"Well, I'll skip the niceties," Sango grinned. "I've got to go clean up. Then it's time for a candy run!"

"Aren't you too old to trick-or-treat?" Kagura asked as Sango headed back to the house.

Sango turned and only shrugged. "Free candy knows no age, sister dear."

Kagome giggled and got up from her seat. "I swear, that girl will never change."

"I hope not," Kagura agreed. "I'll see you later tonight."

"Uh-huh."

* * *

Love is probably the most misunderstood of emotions. Love and kindness are often mistaken for weakness because compassion moves people to mercy. In a dog-eat-dog world, where it is often survival of the fittest, mercy can be the clincher. The real question is would you rather be a compassionate person and come in last, or a selfish person and come in first?

Success. Ruthlessness. Such things are needed in a business world. Determination is key.

Even in a world of such cut and dry, black and white morals, there is gray. Gray like the areas of love and hate. Yin and yang. Light and darkness. You can't have one without the other. People are capable of both. It's one of those benefits of free will. We can chose between being loved and loving others, or looking after number one forever.

* * *

"Down this street!" Rin informed her older brother, pointing a finger.

"I know this street," Inuyasha commented. "My friend Sango lives here."

"Yeah, Kagome lives next door to Sango and Kagura," Rin told him while rolling her eyes. "I've only told you that like a million times. You're so deaf sometimes."

"I resent that, little miss," he teased her, pulling up along the curb. Rin went to open the door, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "You remember the rules, right?"

Rin nodded, rolling her eyes. "Stay with the grown-up. Don't talk to strangers. Don't eat any open candy, or have someone look at it first. I'm eleven, Inuyasha. Not five."

"Not those rules," he nagged, poking her in the arm. "My rules. I expect a candy tax for carting you over here, you know. I would have taken you around our neighborhood."

"Yeah, but then you would have spent most of your time pelting houses with eggs and I would only get like four pieces of candy." Rin shook her head. "I want to enjoy my youth."

Inuyasha grinned at his sister, then leaned over in his seat. "Kiss, squirt." Rin obliged him with a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back here to pick you up at eight."

"And I'll save all my Twix for you."

"That's my girl!"

Rin giggled as she hopped out of the car, pillowcase in hand, and scurried up the lawn to the Higurashi family front door. Inuyasha watched until she was admitted inside, then took off back home. He and Miroku were, upon invitation from Sango, attending some kind of party at the Serpentine tonight. He still had to get a costume together.

"Hey, Rin," Kagome greeted, letting her inside. "You look so adorable!"

Rin posed. She wore a white and red kimono, which would have been fine on its own, but Rin was a rebel and improved it. There was a small fake sword hanging at her hip, a few pieces of armor on her shoulders, and a huge fluffy, white boa hanging over her right shoulder.

"Thanks! Inuyasha helped me make it. I'm a demon!"

"What kind of demon?" Kagome asked, smiling.

"A really strong one," Rin smiled. "A demon lord or something. I could smite you with one arm."

"Wait until you see my costume," Kagome grinned back. "Then we'll see who smites who."

"Where are Kohaku and Souta and Shippou?"

"Sango is helping them add the finishing touches to their costumes, come on." Kagome took Rin's hand and led her upstairs to where the boys were finally ready.

"Hi, Rin," Kohaku greeted. "You look great!"

"You too," Rin agreed.

Kohaku was dressed in a black and blue body suit, much like one of the outfits he wore during karate class. Sango came up behind him, dressed alike except hers was pink and black, and proceeded to hug him senseless. "He's my mini-me," she laughed.

"We're demon hunters," he told Rin, squirming in Sango's hold.

"So you're going to be hunting me?" Shippou asked, hopping down from the bed. He was going as a fox demon, complete with red fuzzy tail and pointed ears. Kagome had tied leaves into his hair for added effect. He looked like he had in the doodle she had done of him weeks before.

"Me too!" Souta exclaimed. He was a cat demon with two tails, whiskers, and fake ears on his head. Kagome had also purchased fake claws for him, so he could frighten other kids.

"Looks like we demon hunters will have a lot to do," Kohaku sighed. He had stopped struggling and let Sango cuddle him. He didn't really mind, since all three boys loved Sango as a second sister.

"You're right," said second sister replied. "We should arm ourselves."

"Yes!" They both took up their arms, which were really just a pair of fake swords that went through their belts, and a hand-made weapon of cardboard and rope. Kohaku's was a small bone-like projectile at the end of a rope. Sango's was like a giant boomerang that she pulled over her shoulder on a strap. "We're ready to fight the forces of evil."

"Kagome," Sango smiled. "You're the only one not in costume yet."

"I know," she laughed. "I'm just tormenting you."

Sango pouted for a moment, causing Kagome to laugh even more, then went back to playing with the four kids. Kagome trekked up to her room to change before coming back down the stairs. When she returned, she was dressed in a pair of strange red and white robes. In her hand was a bow, and a quiver of fake arrows were on her shoulder.

"What are you supposed to be?" Souta asked, rubbing his nose.

"I'm a miko," Kagome told him. "A priestess. I have magic powers and fight demons to save the day." Then she grinned evilly. All the demons in the room proceeded to gulp.

"Come on everyone," Sango announced, pillowcase in hand. "It's candy time!"

A cheer went up that could be heard down the block.

When she and Kagome were within distance, she leaned over and whispered into her ear. "This is your big secret costume?"

"One of them," Kagome smiled.

"One?"

* * *

Love comes in many different forms.

A lot of people believe that it comes in only one form: the love one has for the person they want to share their lives with. But that just isn't so.

It is also a common belief that heartbreak only happens when you lose a lover. I am proof enough to tell you that there is heartbreak for the loss of others.

I lost my mother at a young age, and the pain of that will be with me until the day I die. It broke my heart, knowing that she would never be there again, and such an experience kept me from loving others for a very long period of time. I thought that to love anyone, family, friends or lovers, would just be another heartbreak.

As hard as it is to fully love someone, the kind of unconditional love you give whole-heartedly, it is even harder to live without it.

* * *

At 7:59, Kagome was racing around her house.

"Mom, have you seen my wig?"

"It's in the bathroom, dear," her mother yelled from the kitchen, where she was doing the dishes after feeding four very sugar-hyped grade schoolers.

"Its not in here, Mom!"

"The _other_ bathroom, Kagome."

"Found it!"

Her mother chuckled in that mother-like way. Kagome bounded down the staircase just as there was a knock on the door. Kagura and Sango burst into the house, hollering about partying until the sun came up. Though Sango was dressed the same as always, Kagura had changed into her costume. A slinky kimono complete with feathers and a lace fan. They were making so much noise that Kagome didn't hear the phone ringing until her mother called for her.

Kagome took the phone in the kitchen, an older model that still had a cord, so she stretched it out into the hall for a little privacy.

"Kagome? This is Principal Schemata, I was wondering if you would be interested in participating in a new program the school is sponsoring."

"What kind of program?"

"It's a tutoring service. You'll be paid for your time, of course. Would you like to hear more?"

"Mr. Schemata, I would love it."

* * *

The most magical thing about love is that it is never ending.

I could find a million and one people who tell me that it does end, or that people can fall out of love, but that isn't so. Love, real love, lasts forever. Affection can change. Lust can be sated. But love is forever. That is the kind of love that is between a parent and a child. The kind of love between best friends. The kind of love shared by real lovers.

Maybe the parent can pass away, or the best friend can move away, or lovers can split up, but a part of that person will always be with you. You will always love them, even if you can't see or hear or smell them. You can still feel them in your heart. You can still hear their voices in your mind and see their faces in your memory.

Real love leaves a lasting impression that will remain with a person until the day they die. And I suspect, it can remain even longer.

* * *

"A tutor?" Sango asked for the third time from the backseat. "You're seriously going to be a tutor? When will you have the time?"

"Well, since I get paid for my time tutoring, I can ask for less hours at the store," Kagome rationalized. "I'll be making more an hour tutoring than I would at the video store, anyway. Plus, no taxes."

"You'll probably get stuck with some snot-nosed freshman who needs you to help him remember his A-B-C's," Kagura grinned. " I'd never stand it, but Kagome has more patience than either of us."

"True," Sango agreed.

The three girls pulled into the Serpentine parking lot and jumped out of the car, pumped and ready for a night of partying.

"So, Kags," Sango said, draping an arm over her friend's shoulders.

"Yes, sweetness?"

"This is you last costume, right? I mean, if you hid a third in that purse, I'd be mighty impressed."

"Nope, this is the only other one," she smiled. Kagome had changed from her miko robes into a long white skirt, a white turtle neck, white sneakers, and a slivery-white wig. She also wore a pair of white cat-like ears on the top of her head. Now, it would seem a kind of frumpy costume, if she hadn't cut away the section of shirt that covered her stomach, sections of the sleeves, and improvised long slits in the skirt that started halfway down her thigh. The way she figured, Halloween was the only night she was allowed to be trashy.

"What do you call this one?" Kagura asked, giving the normally conservative Kagome a good once-over.

"A dog demon's bride," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Hey, look," Sango pointed. "Kouga's here!"

Kouga stood near the entrance, in his signature wolf costume. It was the exact same one he'd worn every year since the fifth grade—except layers were added on as he got older and taller. When he saw the three girls, he smiled and waved.

"Yeah," Kagome said as she waved back. "Tonight is the big date with Ayame."

"Oh, lovebirds," Sango sighed. "You must love them to pieces."

"You know I do," Kagura butted in with a smirk. "I just hope Ayame doesn't chew him up too badly."

"Ah, he can take it," Kagome said with a wink. Then she sped up a step to meet her friend at the door.

"Do you think this hook-up will work?" Sango asked her sister.

"Definitely," Kagura nodded. "The pair of them can drive each other to distraction."

Sango would have retorted, but she was suddenly mauled from behind. "Sango, my love, it's been so long!"

"Demon!" Sango shrieked, struggling to throw him off. "Warn a person! I nearly had a heart attack."

Kagura laughed and kept moving. "I'll see you inside, San."

"Wait! Don't leave me here alone!" But it was too late, Kagura was gone and she was indeed alone, at the mercy of Demon and Grimm, who came swaggering up a minute later.

"Hey Sango."

"Help me?" she asked, being reduced to giving in a puppy face.

"Ok." Inuyasha made short work of tugging Miroku off of Sango, despite minimal protests.

"Come on! I haven't seen her in three whole days! Plus, luscious costume! I couldn't help myself."

"If you hadn't been cutting class, you would have seen me in school," she pointed out. "But on the costume front, thanks."

"Yeah, well… Yeah!"

Inuyasha and Sango only laughed in his face.

"Well, I can see you guys put great thought and detail into your costumes."

Miroku was dressed in black with a purple sheet draped over his shoulders like a toga. He also held a long wooden stick, like a staff. Inuyasha was dressed in some old red martial arts clothes that he had stopped wearing after advancing to a new level in his training.

They both shrugged. "Laundry," was said in unison.

She nodded, understanding perfectly.

"Come along then, we have to party. Oh! I want to introduce you to Kagome, finally. She's here with Kouga and her friend, Ayame." Almost as an afterthought, she quirked a brow at Inuyasha. "Did Sesshomaru come?"

"Oh yeah," Inuyasha smirked. "But you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"No, probably not."

* * *

Can love be one-sided?

I don't believe it's possible. I believe that if one person has feelings for another who has none for them, it is not true love. True love can only exist between two people, not one. No matter how deeply the feeling is held in one person, no matter how much they long for the person, no matter how much they would give for the other's happiness, if adoration is not returned, it can not be considered love.

That is why a person should not be able to chose who they love. If they were, they would end up spending all of their time pining after people who didn't love them simply because they had a cool car or a lot of money or a nice rear end. Love is something that is greater than the physical or the material. Love is something that can make two people who would ordinarily have nothing to do with one another become inseparable. Love knows no race or creed or religion or gender.

The ancient Greeks believed that humans were once two beings joined at the back, either two women, two men, or a man and a woman. One day, humans split into two separate beings. They believed that it is the greatest obligation of the human to find their other half, regardless of who they are. That is the essence of soul mate.

* * *

"That's her?" Kouga asked, pointing to the redhead sitting at the juice bar. She wore a wolf-like costume as well, ears and fur abound, and managed to look both beautiful and alluring in the process.

"That's Ayame," Kagome nodded, taking his hand. "Come on! I'll introduce you."

Ayame sat on her stool, a bored expression on her face as she sipped at her drink. It was one of those coconut drinks with a straw and an umbrella, but she was no more interested in that than she was in anything else that was going on around her.

"Ayame," she heard someone call from behind. Looking up, she saw Kagome coming toward her in a killer costume, flaunting an even more killer smile. Trailing behind her was a very attractive boy in fur. Ayame was already perking up.

"Hi!"

"I'm glad you could come," Kagome said with a nod.

"Me too," Ayame agreed. Girl rule number one: small talk to make a guy feel like he wasn't as important as he really was. "So, who is this with you?"

"Ayame, this is my good friend, Kouga. Kouga, this is Ayame." She yanked Kouga in front of her, made proper introductions and waited for the results.

"Hello, Kouga," the video clerk greeted, flashing him a flirty smile.

"Hi, Ayame," he greeted, nodded his head as he held out his hand. They shook, and the sparks that flew from that single physical action made Kagome inwardly cheer. Attraction was a powerful thing.

"Well, I'll let you two get better acquainted," she said with a pat on each of their shoulders. "I'm going to go mingle."

"Have fun," they both said, not even giving her a second glance. Kagome didn't even mind.

"So, would you, uh, want to dance, or something?" Kouga asked, kind of shy, kind of awkward. Utterly charming.

"I would love to dance," Ayame nodded, smiling sweetly. No urge to be catty or teasing. His attention was totally hers, even if there were prettier girls around.

Kagome watched them head on to the dance floor from further down the bar, sighing from the depth of her romantic soul. Hojo never asked her to dance, it just wasn't his thing. Now a days, he was more interested in getting her to the backseat of his car. Still, she wished he were here. He had bailed on the Halloween party at the last minute, to go to another one at his friend's beach house. Kagome had been invited, but she had previous plans. He was unhappy, but she made it clear that his pouting wasn't going to change her mind.

"Kags," Sango called, bringing her back to herself. "I want you to meet someone!"

"Oh?"

She had just noticed that there was someone trailing Sango, or rather, someone clutching on to Sango's hand for dear life as a mosh pit erupted around the bar area.

"This is Demon. Demon, _this_ is Kagome."

When they came face to face, Miroku blanched. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed, pointing at her as if she were the missing link. "Video store girl!"

Kagome only blinked, adjusted her ears, and cocked her head to one side. "Uh...hi?"

"You work at Starland, don't you?" he asked earnestly.

"Yeah," Kagome confirmed, smiling a little. "Why?"

"I just recognized you, that's all," he said, grinning like the Devil himself. "Where's Grimm?"

Sango turned around and looked back into the crowd. She saw a flash of red up by the speakers, but that was it. He was gone. "Disappeared," she shouted over the music. "Just like him to book when he's needed."

"Oh man, he shoulda been here," Miroku laughed. Then he smiled in a friendly manner and took Kagome's hand. "Sorry, I'm Miroku. You can call me Demon."

"Hello, Miroku. I've heard a lot about you," Kagome responded, shaking his hand. "If you don't mind, I like to stick with real names."

"I've heard oodles about you too, sweetie," he said with a grin. "And you can call me whatever you want."

"No funny ideas, you pervert," Sango warned.

"I am pure as the freshly driven snow!" Miroku cried indignantly.

Kagome giggled. "I like you."

"Likewise."

Thus the friendship between Kagome and Miroku began.

* * *

I was placed in charge of the Cultural portion of our school newspaper to discuss the important issues facing all young people today.

To me, nothing is more important to a person's life than the people they love.

It should never matter, who you love. Because to love is a gift. To be loved is a blessing that should be cherished.

Mixed race dating, arranged marriages, homosexuality… none of that should matter in the long run. It **doesn't matter** who you love, because love in itself is a mystery. That is the way it has always been, and always should be. From now until the end of time. No one can ever tell you who to love, or how to love. It should simply be embraced.

It is the most important thing in the world to find love, in one shape or form, with some person. Love in any form, be it for a family member, for a friend, or for a lover. To live a life with love is to live a life, and that is the greatest thing in the world.

* * *

Kagura waited to the side of the stage. Diego sat behind his turntables, playing one loud and dance-worthy song after another. She danced a little after being dragged out on to the floor by Kagome and Sango a few times. She happily engage in a conversation with Bankotsu and Jakotsu, who had crashed the party dressed like a cocktail waitress and waiter. All the while, she was waiting for her boyfriend to show up.

What she didn't expect was to be approached by Naraku, who came up beside her when she took a breather at one of the tables to the side.

"Hey, Kagura," he greeted, sitting across from her.

"Naraku," she said in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be in attendance."

"Didn't think this was your scene," he shot back.

"Not usually," she admitted. "My friends dragged me here."

"You're not on a date?" he asked, a smile playing at his mouth and a light entering his eyes.

"Not at the moment," Kagura told him with a shrug. "He's late."

"So it's true after all."

"What is?"

Naraku shrugged, looking toward the juice bar. "You're involved." 'With our anal retentive newspaper editor,' went unsaid.

Kagura smiled, a kind of dreamy smile that one only can make when one has a lover. "Yes."

"It's too bad," he told her, leaning closer. "You would have looked really good at my side."

Kagura smiled and leaned a little closer to him. "If you had noticed me anytime during the past three years, I would be at your side." Then Kagura pushed back in her chair and stood up. "But I don't think it's bad at all, because I am completely devoted to Sesshomaru." Smiling at him one more time, Kagura turned and moved into the crowd.

Naraku was filled with an unfamiliar kind of emotion. Something akin to anger, but also a longing feeling that was foreign to someone who had always gotten what he wanted. Jealousy maybe. He smiled a little, at the very idea of feeling something so petty.

He had been rejected before, well, out off. Hitting on girls with boyfriends, like Kagome Higurashi. But that had never been a serious conquest he would have gone after. Kagura was different. As he watched her walk away, he felt something new roiling in his stomach.

She had seen him come in through the front doors. It was impossible not to see him, really. Sesshomaru just had a commanding presence, and he demanded to have his presence known.

Now that she had a better look at him, she smiled. He was wearing the same costume as Rin had been wearing that afternoon, only a size to fit him.

"Love the costume," she complimented, coming up beside him.

"Thank you," he replied, as poker faced as ever. Sarcasm was wasted on him.

"You're late."

"A thousand apologies. My mother felt the urge to take pictures of Rin and me when both of us were dressed."

"But you look adorable," she offered with a grin. "And your sister did as well."

He looked at her levelly, then turned away. "Yes, well, it was all Mother's idea, for us to dress alike."

"It's probably your last year to ever wear a Halloween costume," Kagura rationalized. "It's only right you have to suffer through commemorative photos and prodding from your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Sesshomaru echoed, looking at her quizzically. "You're my girlfriend now?"

"Yes," she informed him, linking her arm around his. "Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me now."

"I think I could get used to that."

* * *

_Once upon a time..._

There lived a girl named Kagura…

_**Who dreamed of finding her true love…**_

_Instead of finding what she was looking for… _

She found something even better…

_**And she and her Frog Prince lived happily ever after!**_

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks again to all the readers of this story—you've made it worthwhile. Hang around for the next installment; it should be starting in the next two weeks! 


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